Sorrow's Path
by Reina Ann Vilre
Summary: Soren found what seemed to be a mercenary fort in the wilderness of Crimea, though he didn't think much of it. Until, that is, he saw that boy with blue hair. Could it really Be...?
1. Prologue: Determination

Author's Notes: This is the continuation for The Sad Tale. It will focus on Soren from the time he joins the Greil Mercenary's through the events of PoR. No I have not forgotten my other story's, however I did want to get the prologue up, so yeah.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Fire Emblem, Yadda, yadda.

Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort

Rating: T (for minor violence and war themes)

Pairing's: Ilyana/Zihark, otherwise not too sure (Suggustions are appreciated, but no Yaoi, Boyd/Mist, or Astrid/Makalov)

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><p>Prologue: Detemination<p>

He didn't know for how long exactly he had been wandering Crimea, but he didn't particularly care. He was tired, hungry, and had no where to go, but that didn't matter. Despite that he lived by logic and self-preservation like it was a law, his stubborn determination always won out in the end.

And right now he was determined to find the blue-haired boy, which was not an easy task by any means, but He certainly wasn't about to give up just yet. It was his last chance, his last hope.

For the longest time he stared at the strange fort directly in front if him. That was his destination, and though he couldn't be sure that it wasn't an unusual Crimean military base, he doubted that theory highly. If anything it was probably a mercenary fort, just the kind of job he was looking for.

Despite his fatigue he trudged on up the short hill leading to the base. It was rather defensible, the fort was. Thick walls surrounded it, and as far as he could see it only had two entrances which, if the need arose, could easily be defended by two soldiers each, provided that said units would be able to hold out against direct attacks.

But that didn't matter right now, as he was already approaching two figures standing a little ways from the fort. One was a young blue-haired boy, probably around the age of fifteen, while the other was an older man with graying light brown hair and blue eyes.

The man had a stern look about him, though there seemed to be a slight hint of humor in his eyes and perhaps a bit of kindness? He was well built and could have easily have lifted the large axe leaning against a tree nearby. He seemed to be a respectable sort, if slightly intimidating.

However it was the boy that caught his attention. He looked _very_ familiar, and Soren knew why. The hair, the eyes, he looked _exactly_ like that boy, only older. This couldn't be a mere coincidence could it? Soren quickly dismissed the thought. Of course it was just a coincidence he would be silly to think otherwise. But still…

"Who are you?" The younger of the two asked, cutting off his train of thought. Now normally this would have irritated him to no end, however he decided to make an exception.

"Soren," Came the curt reply. Soren nearly flinched at the sound of his own voice. It sounded harsh, even to him. Neither of them seemed to notice though, so he let it go.

"I'm Ike." The younger one said. Soren couldn't deny it any longer. He _was_ the same boy. Though he didn't seem to remember him, Which Soren thought was odd. Did he really look _that_ different? Or was there another reason? He'd have to think about this…

"The name's Greil, I'm commander of this here mercenary company. Did you want something?" Greil asked him.

Greil's gaze was intense and Soren had to suppress the urge to fidget. Soren could tell, Greil saw right through him. Did the commander know about it? About his kind? It was for this reason that Soren was having second thoughts about joining this particular group of mercenary's. There were others who would be willing to hire a mage weren't there?

No. Soren wouldn't allow himself to run away this time. He's been running his whole life, and he was tired of it. "I would like to join your mercenary company." Soren stated with an outward calm, betrayed by his inward apprehension.

_"What am I so afraid of?"_ He asked himself angrily, and, despite that he already knew, he would _never_ admit to it. Rejection. He was afraid of rejection.

"Aren't you a little young to be trying to join a mercenary company?" Greil asked him seriously, crushing Soren's hopes.

Soren drew himself up to his full height (Which wasn't all that impressive compared to Greil) stared at him with an intense gaze of his own, and asked, "So what if I am?"

Greil, instead of getting angry as Soren originally thought he would, gave a hearty laugh. Greil spoke up before Soren could respond to this. "You've got guts kid, I like that." Soren gave a small inaudible sigh. "So, you have any weapon training?" Greil asked.

"I am a practitioner of anima magic, namely wind magic." Soren stated professionally.

"A mage?" Ike asked. "Huh, I've… never actually met a mage before." He commented lightly, putting on a contemplative frown, his brow creasing slightly in thought.

Greil just ignored Ike's comment, probably because he was used to it, and went straight back to the original topic. "Now then, though a mage would be useful to have around, not to mention a nice addition to our company, I wouldn't want a kid on the battlefield. It's just too dangerous, and none of my mercenary's would want to be responsible for a young pup like you getting hurt." Though Greil's logic was rather sound, it angered Soren greatly.

"I can take care of myself, I don't need to be protected!" Soren said, letting his emotion get the best of him for once.

"Whether you think so or not isn't…" Greil never finished his sentence for Ike chose that moment to speak up. "Father, why don't we just try it out for now, see if it works out. You said it yourself; a mage would be a nice addition to the company."

"You know Ike, every once in while you actually have a good idea." Greil said with a slight smirk. "Welcome to the Greil Mercenary's Soren." Greil smiled, using Soren's name for the first time.

"You will not regret this, Commander Greil." Soren stated firmly, a determined look in his eyes. He would prove himself to be a capable member of this mercenary company. That much he knew for sure.

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><p>End Notes: Whew! I finally got this story up! Thank you peoples for willing me to finish The Sad Tale. Now I can continue the series. (Yes I will turn it into a series.) Till next time!<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: What is Love?

Author's notes: I am so sorry that this is so late! I'm just trying to juggle school, the rest of my life, and whatever else. Anyway, the first chapter of Sorrows Path, as promised. (The second story in my Soren Series.)

Have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own, now leave me alone. (Hey that Rhymes!)

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><p><em>"There is no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friend." John 15:13<em>

Chapter 1: What is Love?

Soren walked down a corridor of the mercenary fort. It had been a few days since he became an 'official' member of the Greil Mercenaries, and few weeks since he first arrived here. Most of them still didn't trust him. Not that he was surprised, he _had_ just shown up out of no where, but it was still irritating at times.

Speaking of things that irritated him, Soren caught sight of Shinon walking straight for him. The man hardly glanced at him, and instead walked past him, but not before giving Soren a harsh shove, knocking the inventory report to the ground.

"Watch where you're going." Soren said coldly, quickly retrieving his report before turning to glare at the much taller man.

"Maybe you shouldn't get in my way." Shinon snapped back at the mage, giving him his own scathing glare.

Soren refused to back down or be intimidated by the sniper, and things might have escalated further had Titania not come around to defuse the situation.

"Shinon!" The deputy-commander said sharply, immediately catching their attention. Shinon looked hardly amused. "The commander would not be pleased if he found you and Soren fighting again." She said in her stern almost motherly manner.

"Pah! It was the whelp's fault, he shouldn't have gotten in my way." It was a pathetic accuse at best, and Shinon knew that, but he didn't particularly care. Though, evidently not caring enough to try and argue his point, he simply shot Soren one last glare before stalking off in the direction of the archery range.

Titania watched his retreating form for a moment before turning back towards Soren. "You shouldn't antagonize him Soren it will only make it worse." She chided gently. Soren was certain he saw pity in her eyes.

"I wasn't. He merely got in my way when I attempted to give the commander the last battle report." He said coldly before shooting her a glare. He _hated_ pity. "Now if you will excuse me I must go see the commander." Soren didn't know why but the look on her face sent him a slight pang… was it guilt? He wasn't sure, he never felt that way before.

At least, not from having hurt someone that is. He usually didn't care about such things, they were far too inconvenient, especially for mercenaries. Holding attachments for such people was never a good thing, they could die any day. If he grew too attached, he'd end up hurt again.

And what if they found out what he was? Would they throw him away like everyone else? What, what if it was Ike who rejected him?

Though his face remained impassive, Soren inwardly shuddered at the thought. Ike and Greil had been the only ones who had ever been kind to him, and though Soren hated to admit it, he already found himself forming a bond of sorts with the two mercenaries.

He respected Greil, but Ike, Ike was the closest thing to a friend Soren ever had. He couldn't lose that.

Soren continued on his way towards the training arena where Greil could usually be found at this time of day and, if he was lucky, where he would find Ike.

Sure enough as he approached the training arena, Soren could hear the distinct clack of wood on wood. Father and son were dueling it out in the clearing that served as the mercenary's impromptu 'training arena' of sorts. Soren winced: Ike was losing, horrendously.

After a minute or so Ike was lying on his back, taking a dirt nap. Soren just sighed in sympathy for his friend. Ike never could best his father in a duel of any form, but that was the thing about Ike, he never stopped trying. Soren didn't think he could do that.

"Ah, Soren. What brings you here so early in the morning?" The commander asked Soren in such a way that it almost sound like he was purposely trying to get on his nerves. Greil always did have that tendency to make himself _seem_ arrogant at times, despite the fact that he was the most experienced of the ragtag group.

"Commander Greil," Soren stated as emotionlessly as usual. "I came to give you the report on our last battle." He went on monotonously.

Greil looked down at Ike, who was currently still lying on the ground unconscious, before turning his full attention back towards Soren. "Go on." Was all he said in acquiesce.

Soren looked down at his friend and frowned somewhat, hesitating slightly.

"Don't worry about the pup, he'll be up and about in a minute or two." Greil stated, giving Soren a small yet reassuring smile when he realized the younger male's reason for delay.

Soren just nodded and passively began going over his report with the commander, going into even the slightest of details, as per usual. Soren had just started going over the inventory when Ike finally awoke. The younger male blinked, still somewhat groggy.

"Soren?" Ike queried dazedly, squinting in an attempt to keep most of the sun out of his eyes.

"Ike, you're awake." Soren stated blandly.

"Ah, so the sleeping prince awakens." Greil joked in a light-hearted somewhat teasing and somewhat condescending tone. "Are you back for more or have you had enough?" Greil inquired smugly, a slight smirk playing at his lips.

Ike gave his father a completely flat look, which was actually his neutral expression. "I'm not gonna give up just yet." Ike stated with that same fierce determination that Soren always admired in his friend.

"Then I will leave you two to it." Soren said quietly. He turned to the commander. "By your leave," was all he said before hurrying away back to his room.

"Soren wait, I didn't mean that you had to… And he's gone again." Ike sighed as Soren disappeared before he could even finish his sentence. Soren was weird like that.

"Ike you shouldn't worry so much about Soren. He can take care of himself." Greil called to his son as he pulled out his wooden training sword once again. "Now let's see if you can do any better than before, eh?" The commander said with a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Humph." Ike made a noise of agreement before recklessly charging at his father. "Hiya!"

Soren watched the two train from a distance for a few minutes before returning to his quarters. He wondered what it was like: to have someone care about you like a parent should. All his life he had never known a what 'love' was, and least of all a parent's love. He'd heard about it, wondered about it, but never really known what it was. Though, from what he observed, it was caring about someone more than you do yourself.

Soren stopped walking a second in thought. Was, that the way he cared about Ike? But more importantly, did Ike care about _him_ that way?

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><p>Endnotes: Now the type of love I'm talking about isn't the romantic type of love (thank goodness) this is the type of love commonly displayed between close friends, siblings, and parents and children. (In simpler terms for those YAOI fans, FAMILY.)<p>

Soren's essentially wondering if Ike considers him as family, like the rest of the mercenaries, if that makes any sense.


	3. Chapter 2: An Inconvenience

Author's Notes: Despite the fact that it has been so long since I last updated I don't have anything to say. Enjoy anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or game of Fire Emblem.

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><p>Chapter 2: An Inconvenience<p>

Wary crimson eyes took note of their surroundings, making sure that none followed. Some may call it paranoid but Soren chose to refer to it as caution, after all, you could never be too careful. He _was_ a person who practiced prudence after all.

After taking one last look, Soren's attention went to assess the current situation. Crimea's capital city, Melior, had just been ambushed by the full force of the Daein army (Soren didn't doubt that it was Ashnard who led the assault) it would take him at least two days to reach the mercenary fort, and there may or may not be Daein soldiers trailing him. All in all, things were not in his favor. Then again, when had that ever stopped him?

It hadn't stopped him from finding Ike. It hadn't stopped him from joining the Greil Mercenaries. This was certainly not going to prevent him from fulfilling his task. His goal was to help Ike, the same way Ike had helped him.

Pushing those useless thoughts aside, Soren hurried his pace. He would have to move swiftly if he was to reach the fort in time for his warning to mean anything. That and he just wanted to get back. The Greil Mercenaries were the closest thing to family he ever had.

His pace was even and steady and he made good progress for quite some time. Soren's only delay had been two idiotic brothers named Antel and Endin. Apparently they were actually five brothers and they were looking for the other three. He left them behind rather quickly; they were none of his concern.

With that taken care of he mentally set the fastest route to the fort. Soren traveled lesser known paths to avoid as much human contact as possible. He was not a people person and did not wish another encounter like the previous one.

However, despite all his precautions, it was almost unavoidable to not meet up with a scouting patrol or two. Soren cursed mentally when he saw several ebon clad soldiers milling about the riverfront. He would have to go around which would set him back an hour or so.

A slightly irate growl emanated from the boy as he slowly backed away from the enemy. He'd have to go down the river quite a bit just to find a ford. This was certainly not the most favorable situation…

"Look, there!" Soren froze at the voice, inwardly berating himself for such carelessness. "More Crimean scum it seems," The man spat coldly.

"Don't let him get away!" Another cried.

He tried to run but was quickly encircled by a group of four Daein soldiers, all ready to slice his throat open. Soren held his tome tightly to his chest, backing up against a tree. How did he get himself into these situations?

"Hehehe, what do we have here? A little boy lost his way in the woods? Would you like us to find your mommy?" One of the fools sneered.

An unnatural wind began to blow, and one of the four thought it was unusual considering there hadn't been so much as a slight breeze all day.

"Hey, do any of you feel that?" The swordsmen questioned, silencing his compatriots.

"It's just the wind. Why are you always so suspicious of this stuff?" The first man queried matter-of-factly.

"Because we haven't felt the slightest breeze all day," The second man snapped back.

"It's the boy!" A third yelled out. "He's chanting!"

"Blast! He's a mage."

"Stop him before he can finish cast…" Too late, Soren had already finished his spell and the Daein soldiers were knocked back by the sudden burst of wind.

Blades of air sliced all too easily through their armor, leaving small nicks and cuts littering across bare skin. Dirt and leaves were picked up in the high winds, making it more and more difficult for the soldiers to see their target. Unfortunately for them, Soren knew all too well where _they_ were.

Screams rose into the morning air, only to be drowned out by the howling winds created by the young mage. When the soldiers' shouts of pain could no longer be heard over the chaos, Soren let his guard drop slightly. The torrential winds died down leaving the forest just as peaceful as it had been before.

The sun shone brightly down on the earth and birds once again sung in their perches. Life continued on as before, like nothing had happened. In reality nothing _had_ happened. At least nothing important. In that aspect the world was such a cruel place and no one knew that better than Soren.

The four Daein soldiers lay in a heap on the ground, either dead or dying Soren didn't particularly care which. Stepping carefully over the bodies, the boy checked them to make sure they would not cause him any more trouble but otherwise left them as they were. They had meant nothing to him, he held no emotion connections with them; they were soldiers sent to kill him, no more.

With that rather bleak thought, Soren hurried away. He still had a mission to fulfill and he would not rest until he did so. The boy only wished that the fort was not so far away. That was an inconvenience that couldn't be helped though.

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><p>End Notes: yes I know it is a short chapter.<p>

I had really wanted to do something like this mostly because people don't ever show what happened before the time Soren reaches the Greil Mercenaries fort. I mean come on, it couldn't have been _that_ easy.


	4. Chapter 3: Out of Sight

Author's Notes: Yes another short chapter and I didn't actual get very far from where I was yesterday. Though I do think there is a bit of character developement. Heehee! Character developement...

Disclaimer: Do I have to put one of these in very chapter? I wouldn't think so but I will anyway, just in case. I don't own Fire Emblem or it's characters.

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><p>Chapter 3: Out of Sight<p>

"_Hey Soren, I'm kinda curious," Soren looked up from his book and stared at Ike._

_"What is it?" The young mage prompted._

_"Why did you decide to join a mercenary company? I- don't mean to come off as rude or anything, but you're really smart, you didn't have to join a band of sellswords. You could have been a scholar or something."_

_"First of all I had no desire to become a scholar. Secondly, I would like to ask you why you wish to become a mercenary?" Soren's piercing crimson eyes bored holes into Ike's._

_"Huh?" Ike blinked in puzzlement. "Well, I suppose I never really thought about it before. I guess the reason is so that I could protect the ones I care about. Titania, Mist, everyone. I don't want anything to happen to them, so I want to become strong enough to protect them."_

_"Then you have your answer," Soren stated._

_"What?"_

_The mage sighed imperceptibly. "The reason I wish to fight is to protect those I care about."_

_"Oh, I get it. Hey Soren?" _

_"Yes, Ike?"_

_"One day I will be strong enough to protect this family, and that includes you Soren," Ike grinned slightly before leaving the library. _

_"Of course you will Ike."_

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><p>Soren opened his eyes and stared at the surrounding trees and bushes. He <em>hated<em> forests. It wasn't anything particular about them, birds, insects, trees. No, it was far deeper than that. He did not like them for the simple reason that the woods always reminded him of his childhood. Not a subject he was thrilled to talk about.

But nothing could be done until he returned to the fort. The boy stiffly rose from his hiding place in a low growing shrub and continued with his trek. Ears alert and eyes searching for any danger, he made quite some progress with little difficulty.

After yesterday's nuisance he had little trouble in the form of soldiers. He had made decent time and even quickened his pace slightly and was now only a day and a half's march from the fort. At that time though it had been growing ever darker, and he had stopped when he could barely see his hands in front of his face.

He'd slept beneath a bush that night, mostly because of a long ingrained habit, but always made sure his tome was easily accessible. Soren strongly disliked being unarmed at any point of the day. Though, usually, he slept with a knife in his hand, he had lost his in the scuffle at Melior.

Soren was rather curious as to what Daein's motives were in this war. Crimea had shown no signs of hostility other the usual border spats. There was no reason to attack the kingdom, considering it was not a threat. Crimea may have a decent army, however they were hardly militaristic. It was more of a scholarly land than anything else.

That meant that Ashnard had some other motive for the sudden invasion. What could be going through the mad king's mind, Soren wondered. Just what was the purpose of the attack? It made no logical sense; but who's to say it had to?

He could merely be attempting to gain power or trying to conquer all of Tellius. However he might have some other ulterior motive or drive behind his preemptive strike. What that motive could possibly be however, was no concern of his.

Soren could care less if Greil were to choose to side with Daein, though the boy did have his doubts that Greil would side against Crimea. Greil was loyal to a fault, something which Soren greatly respected and admired about the man. That and Greil had always been kind to him, even though the mercenary commander had no reason to trust him.

It really had been a spur of the moment thing, when Soren decided to join the mercenaries. He hadn't known what to expect, and though Ike didn't recognize him he didn't care. For the first time in his life he felt as if he had a place in this world. The Greil Mercenaries were his family, and he would do everything in his power to protect them.

Soren snorted lightly. He was more like Ike than he originally thought. Though, he still couldn't understand Ike's idealism at times. Was his friend just that naïve?

The rest of the journey home was uneventful, though there was a light rain shower; _that_ had irritated Soren to no end. He strongly disliked being cold _and_ wet. The days he spent traveling were boring and he was already wishing he was there, if only so he could change to something _not_ travel worn.

His wish was granted at noon on the third day. The mercenary fort was within his sight now, the simple yet sturdy structure standing out against the slight incline it sat atop. Defendable; that was key.

They would have to be prepared for oncoming attacks. Even if Daein passed them by without a second glance (which was highly unlikely) they would have to be ready, just in case. It was practically Soren's motto: one can never be overly prepared. Though some would call it paranoia, Soren preferred to refer to it as _precaution_.

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><p>Endnotes: *Grins sweetly* I hope you liked it.<p> 


	5. Chapter 4: Still in Mind

Author's Notes: yes, another update for Sorrows Path. This one is much longer then the previous two and when you start reading you'll find out why. There was a lot of the game dialogue in this one, and from this point on there will be a lot of the game's dialogue in the chapters. I will add a few revisions though, mostly because, to me, some of it didn't sound quite right.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem (don't blame me if I accidently say Tales of Symphonia because one of these days my sure I will.)

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><p>Chapter 4: Still in Mind<p>

Soren ran right through the open gates of the fort. He saw Oscar, Gatrie, Shinon and Mist out in the field, some training, some merely conversing with each other. But he paid them little mind as he went straight toward the mess hall, where he knew Greil would be at this time.

Stepping inside the building, Soren immediately focused on where Greil and Titania, the deputy commander, were speaking about the recent activities of the mercenaries. Without hesitation he walked straight up to them. He didn't even wait until he had their attention before cutting into their conversation.

"Commander Greil, there is some troubling news I must speak to you about," Soren spoke smoothly, eyes locked on the much taller man.

"Soren," Greil said in surprise. "I didn't think you would be back for some time now. What is this about?" He asked curiously, though there was an underlying hint of gravity, knowing the situation must be rather serious.

"It's Daein. They have gone to war with Crimea," Soren replied, as usual refusing to dance around the issue.

Titania's sudden intake and startled look suggested she hadn't even thought of that possibility. "Are… you certain Soren?" She questioned hesitantly.

Soren glanced at her for the first time since he entered the mess hall. "I saw them attack Melior with my own eyes," he replied emotionlessly.

At that Greil nodded grimly. "Troubling news indeed. Gather the troops," he commanded Titania.

"Yes commander," Titania's expression showed her concern.

The deputy commander left quickly, passing Ike as he came into the mess hall. The boy frowned at Titania's worried look, before walking up to where Soren and his father stood. Soren was relieved to see him again, though he didn't show it.

Greil looked over his son and said, "Ike, if you've got time to waste, you've got time to work. Get to the briefing room," before following Titania's lead.

"Yes, sir," Ike replied, confused as to what was happening. "Hey!" he called to after his father as the man left, an inquisitive look on his face. Greil didn't seem to hear him, so instead he asked himself, "What's going on around here?"

"Bad news," Soren finally spoke up. "Something big is happening, and we need to formulate a plan of action."

"Soren!" Ike exclaimed, eyes alight.

"Hello, Ike, long time, no see," there was a slight amusement that was not usually present in his voice.

"I'm happy to see you're back," a smile overcame Ike's features as he looked his friend over. The boy frowned again a moment later though. "But what happened?" Ike queried, worried and confused. "I thought you were going to be study a while longer," he finished.

Soren closed his eyes before answering. "It's a long story…" he began before he was interrupted.

"What's the hold up?" Greil called from the entrance of the mess hall. "Get over here now!" he shouted towards the two boys.

Soren, somewhat irritated from being interrupted merely said, "Let's go. I'll fill you in later," before leaving Ike in the mess hall and heading toward the briefing room.

Ike quickly followed after him, catching up with him in a few moments. "Soren? Will you just tell me what's going on?"

Soren turned towards him, still heading to the main building. "I will tell you when we're all together. I hate having to repeat myself," the mage replied, attempting to lighten the mood.

Ike offered a small, nervous chuckle for his efforts, before responding with, "Alright then."

In minutes the mercenaries, including Mist and Rolf, were congregated in the Briefing Room. It was located toward the front of the building, that way they could easily accomplish their various tasks swiftly and precisely after they are assigned. However this time the air was far darker, a grave feeling pervading everyone's senses.

Greil was the first to break the silence. "You probably remember that Soren's been training with another mercenary group. Well, he's back now," he began. "And he has some unbelievable news."

"What news is that?" Ike asked for what seemed the fiftieth time.

Soren, never one to beat around the bush, bluntly stated, "It's Crimea and Daein. They've gone to war."

Mist, Ike's younger sister and Greil's daughter, spoke next, fear and shock in her voice. "War?" She cried, horrified by the news. "It… it can't be!" Titania placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"That's why I've called everyone here. Soren had some more information. Go ahead Soren." Greil cut in smoothly, placating Soren's indignation at being interrupted _again._

Soren took a calming breath, before going into his speech. "All right. Take a look at this map," the boy said pulling a map out of his traveling bag and unfolding it out on the table.

Greil glanced at it. "Ah. It's a map of Crimea," he stated obviously, likely on purpose. "Quite detailed, from the looks of it," it almost seemed as if he were complimenting Soren.

Soren skillfully took over from there. "Yes," he said simply. Pointing to the image of a rather large and prominent looking castle, he said, "This is Melior, Crimea's capital," he explained. The young strategist then indicated a more forested area toward the western coast of Crimea. "Our base of operations is right about here," he paused for a moment. "Everything started three days ago. I needed to do some research," he didn't bother saying what sort of research. They didn't need to know. "So I went to the archives of Melior's royal library. Without warning, the scream of a terrible beast—a wyvern, perhaps—rent the air, and the building was rocked by a tremor." Though his voice was emotionless, it truly sounded as if he were some kind of storyteller. "I rushed outside and saw wave after wave of knights, cavalry, and wyvern riders, each clad in glistening ebon armor, black as night."

At that moment Greil cut in. "The Daein army?" he questioned.

"Correct," Soren replied evenly.

"Was there provocation?" the commander pressed.

Soren launched into another speech at that query. "As you know, relations between Crimea and Daein have never been… friendly. However, the past centuries have seen only minor skirmishes, nothing that has ever approached scale of this attack. It was brutal and without warning. Daein laid the capital to waste. I've never seen destruction on this scale before."

A troubled look overcame Titania's features. "A swift attack," she murmured. "Devastating and brutal… a daring gambit indeed." Her voice had turned suddenly cold, angered by what Soren said of Daein's unprovoked attack.

Greil looked over at her. "But if it succeeds, a very well-chosen one at that." His blue eyes darkened. "Yes, the king of Daein would not hesitate to employ such treacherous tactics," the man sounded as if he were speaking more to himself then his mercenaries. He quickly refocused on their young strategist. "What happened next?" he asked the boy.

"The king's brother, Duke Renning, deployed the Crimean army to meet the attack," Soren said simply. "The king ordered his people to flee the city before the battle reached them. Fearing the worst, I also fled and made my way here," he explained, finally reaching the end of his explanation.

Greil thought over this information a moment. "So," he began, "we don't know how the tides of battle flow now, do we?" he frowned slightly, but nodded to himself a moment later. "That's all right. Word of the war cannot have traveled far yet. We may well be the first ones who know of it out here." He gave Soren a look of approval. "You did well to bring us this information, Soren. I know some risk was involved."

"It was nothing," despite his words, Soren couldn't help but feel the swell of pride at the commander's compliment.

Titania cut the moment short by saying, "Daein has invaded Crimea… We may be mercenaries, but this still affects us."

For the first time since the talk of war was brought up, Ike spoke. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"That's the question of the day." Greil commented drily. On a more serious note he asked Titania, "How do you see it, Titania?"

"Crimea is the closest thing our company has to a homeland," the deputy commander began slowly. "The Crimean royal family and noble houses have been generous, providing us with many lucrative jobs." Soren could tell she was trying to sound practical, but the emotion could still be seen in her eyes. She wanted revenge. "From a moral standpoint as well as a business one, it's in our best interest to help Crimea," the red-haired woman concluded.

Greil nodded, acknowledging her, before turning to his staff officer. "And you, Soren?" He questioned.

Soren thought through his answer a minute, before he replied. "I agree on one point: we are mercenaries. We are not Crimea's private militia," if Titania wouldn't, than Soren would be the voice of reason in this. "No coin has crossed our palms, so I think we should stay out of it," he finished, knowing Titania would be angered by his response. He had been preparing for it.

Greil gave the boy a curious look. "So you would have us sit and watch as Crimea is overrun?" the commander questioned.

"I would," was his quick response, having already considered the question over in his mind. "Daein's troops are superior in both numbers and morale. The chances of Crimean victory are slim indeed."

"But Crimea is ruled by King Ramon, who is known throughout the land for his wisdom," Protested Titania. "And his brother, Duke Renning is said to possess peerless valor and courage. Daein may not find victory so easily," she stated, firm in her beliefs.

Soren almost scoffed at the ridiculous reasoning. "Valor and courage are for children's tales," he practically spat. "In terms of military prowess, Daein's King Ashnard is every bit Lord Renning's equal. Victory will hinge on troop numbers and supplies, and Daein is superior in both," he stated evenly, staring Titania down with those crimson eyes. "I think the outcome is painfully obvious," the boy finished.

Anger flashed in Titania's eyes, and in a sudden bout of surprising frustration she yelled out, "curse you Soren! Crimea is not doomed! If they can turn aside Daein's initial thrust and turn it into a test of endurance…" She never finished her statement as Soren cut her off.

"With the Crimean army both demoralized and ill prepared?" He questioned incredulously. "They simply will not be able to hold out that long."

Greil, sensing the rising tension in the air, swiftly cut in before they could start a shouting match. "All right. That's enough. Both of you," he said, glaring warningly at them. He continued when he saw them back down. "I hear what you say. However, we must ascertain the current situation before we decide on any action," he stated wisely. "We'll send a scouting party to get a closer look at Melior." At this he looked toward Ike. "Ike, I want you in charge of this. Assemble your men and get going."

The shock in the boy's eyes was not easily mistaken, though Soren was rather curious as to why. Didn't he know he would have to take over the company one day? "What? Me?" he asked, sounding startled by the news.

Greil ignored him and continued on with what he was saying previously. "Titania will accompany you as an advisor." Greil stated.

At this Shinon voiced his protest. "Commander, you must be joking!" he shouted. "He's just a boy," did Shinon truly hate Ike that much? "and he's barely had a taste of battle." So Ike was now officially a mercenary; Soren had suspected as much. "What do you expect a whelp like him to accomplish?" Soren wanted to say a few choice words to Shinon, but refrained.

Greil smirked at that. "Ah, Shinon," he began conversationally, "since you're so concerned, you can go as well."

"Wait that's not what I…" Shinon's protests fell on deaf ears. "Blast," he mumbled.

"Who else… Gatrie, Rhys and Soren. That should do," Greil said to himself.

"Father wait… Why do you want me-" Ike was interrupted by Greil.

"That was an order," Greil stated coolly. "Get moving. There's no time to waste."

"Yes, sir," was Ike's quick response.

Greil nodded to the boy at that before turning back to Titania. "Titania, I'm going out for a bit. I want you to give Ike some direction," he commanded before leaving.

As he walked away Titania said, "Understood."

Soren didn't hear anything more as he already started walking away. The young mage made his way down the hall to his own room. He grabbed a fresh set of robes and changed swiftly, before taking a few extra tomes.

At this point he was beyond tired, but orders were orders. They all needed to play their part. If he needed to go to on this mission to protect Ike, then so be it.

His weariness was a small price to pay, really. He had been through worse. Still, Soren wondered just what they would find when they reached Melior.

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><p>End Notes: as you can see I added a few connecting points here and there. Little things really. I will try to do the best I can with descriptions but if you see anything that can be improved I would love to know about it. Next chapter will feature our first actual in-game battle.<p> 


	6. Chapter 5: Roadside Battle

Author's notes: Funny story, I just finished chapter six and was about to post it, but then I realized I still didn't have Chapter 5 up yet. So sorry for that!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire emblem. Quiero comer tacos.

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><p>Chapter 5: Roadside Battle:<p>

Soren glanced over the gruesome scene before him. Corpses of Crimean and Daein soldiers littered about the path. The ground was painted red with the blood of those men and women who fought and died here.

It was foolish really, to think to deeply about it. He didn't care about them; he didn't know them. Even so, Soren couldn't help but wonder what they had died fighting _for_. Was it simply for their country? Was it fame or recognition they sought? Were they fighting for their families and those they cared about?

What was the point of this life, Soren wondered at times. Really, everyone lived and then they died. No one escaped this fate, so just what purpose did life serve? In all actuality the lives lost in the war didn't matter. It was the cycle of life, nothing more. They wouldn't be remembered anyway.

Soren was broken from his bleak thoughts when Ike called them together. "How did things look over there Soren?" he asked when the mercenaries were all assembled on the beaten path once again.

"Same as here," Soren replied. "There are corpses strewn everywhere," he reported. He thought it over a minute in his mind. "There are quite a lot of them, especially when you consider how far we are from the capital," the boy stated contemplatively.

"Are they… Crimean?" Titania asked worriedly.

Rhys spoke up at that moment. "Judging by the armor, the vast majority of the dead are Daein soldiers."

"So Crimea has the upper hand?" Ike asked.

"Just the opposite, I think," Soren responded. "The Crimean soldiers were members of the Imperial Guard. That means King Ramon—or another member of the royal family—was on the move when Daein soldiers fell on them."

Ike stared at Soren curiously. "Could it have been Lord Renning?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"No," was Soren's quick response. "As long as the Crimean army still draws breath, Lord Renning will not leave their command. Perhaps another member of the court…" the mage was cut off by Gatrie's worried warning.

"We've got Daein soldiers moving in on our location!" the armored knight yelled. "And they don't look happy!"

Sure enough, as the Mercenaries turned around the black armor of the Daein army could be seen coming down the road. At their head was a black clad General class warrior. (1) As soon as the man spotted the mercenaries he called his men to a halt.

"You there!" he shouted to the small company. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" he interrogated harshly.

"We're no one you need…" Titania's reply was cut off by the General.

"You're armed!" He shouted in alarm as he noted their weaponry. "Heed me! Drop your weapons and surrender! Act quickly, or else!" Was it just Soren, or did this man scream way too much?

Shinon scoffed at the man's idiocy. "Listen to me, fool. You're making a mistake. We're not…" The General clearly refused to heed reason as he once again interrupted the mercenary.

"Ah, not going to cooperate, eh? Ready your weapons, men! Move in and kill them all!" Just when was he going to stop shouting?

"Tsk! Headstrong fools!" Titania spat, irritated.

"Getting caught up in some skirmish is not part of the plan…" Soren commented, also frustrated.

"But they're obviously not going to listen to us," Ike added on. "Greil Mercenaries! Get ready to fight!" he commanded.

The scouting party all got into a defensive position along the rather open road. Not able to do much else, they made sure that the stronger fighters were towards the front, so as to make up the front line.

"All right, Ike," Shinon began. "Let's see how you handle the role of captain. Well?" he wondered impatiently. "What are your orders, boy? We'll do what you say, so long as you hurry up and spit it out!" The red-head snapped.

Soren hated the way Shinon kept pressuring Ike. "I know, I know! I'm thinking! Give me a moment will you, Shinon?"

"Bah. Useless! We'd be better led with Mist than this soft, untested whelp." Shinon commented needlessly.

"Let's see… We're in the middle of the road, and there's not much cover," Ike thought aloud. "Soren and Rhys are vulnerable, so we have to protect them form enemy attacks… Right?" Ike questioned confusedly.

Wishing to help him out Soren said, "That's a sound strategy, Ike. I can attack from behind your defenses. Good thinking," he complimented.

"Do you mean that?" Ike asked, sounding hopeful. "Um… all right! Let's do that then," he stated unsurely.

"Very well," Titania said, remounting her horse. The rest of the mercenaries pulled out their various weapons and prepared for the upcoming battle in their own ways.

Rhys sent a quiet prayer to the Goddess Ashera. Soren fingered the binding of his tome, an old habit of his. Shinon notched an arrow and took aim, while Gatrie ready his lance. Titania drew an axe from the saddle bag on her horse's right flank and Ike held his sword high.

They all tensed as the Daeins charged their position, waiting for the inevitable encounter. An enemy Myrmidon came at Titania from the left and Gatrie swung his lance toward him, cutting him open before he even reached the mounted knight. Ike took down a Fighter with little difficulty before the man had a chance to take a stab at Soren, who was busy preparing a spell to send into enemy lines. Shinon shot arrow after arrow, each finding its target in some soldier's skull. Rhys watched on, continually looking his companions over for any sigh of injury or tiredness.

When Soren's chant was complete, he sent it at an oncoming lanceman who had attempted to gut Ike. Soren didn't pity him when he heard the man scream in pain as the blades of air sliced through his armor. It served him right.

As Gatrie engaged a Myrmidon in close combat, several archers hid in a copse of trees nearby and started to shoot at him. Shinon, needing no more prompt then that, sniped two down without second thought. Soren threw a quick wind spell at the last, ending the unfortunate man's life.

The mercenaries stayed within a tight formation, always making sure that Soren and Rhys were behind their lines. The enemy, though strong in numbers and well trained, wasn't being led very well by their commander. Because of that their tactics fell apart, and soon the Daein soldiers had all been routed except for the General.

They had the heavily armored man cornered, Titania, Ike and Gatrie surrounding him from all sides. For him there was no hope of escape. Soren quickly prepared a wind spell in the Ancient Tongue; just in case.

"Grr! Blasted mercenaries. They're better than I expected," Soren heard the Daein soldier hiss quietly to himself. "Even so, they'll not prove a match for Daein's finest." Such arrogance the man had.

Ike leveled his sword at the man. "Bah!" the general scoffed. "You're nothing more than a bunch of ragtag sellswords. Who are you to oppose Daein! You are terribly ignorant of your position in this world."

"You refused to listen to us, and then you attacked us without provocation! Is this the way of the Daein army?"

"You're a cheeky little monkey, aren't you?" Who was he to talk to Ike that way? "Once you're dead, you'll regret sassing me." Soren shook his head: this man truly was an idiot.

Ike didn't bother responding as he slashed at the man. The general didn't bother dodging as Ike's attack had very little effect anyway. Irritated, the boy growled in frustration.

"Just how strong is this guy?" he asked.

The general laughed at him. "Did you truly believe you could defeat me?"

Soren rolled his eyes and unleashed his spell on the man. The force of the blow knocked him back a few paces, and gave Titania an opening to hack at him from the left. Though he held up well against the hit, the deputy commander left quite a few dents in his armor.

"A mage eh? I'll have to keep my guard up around you, no matter how young you look," he said to himself as he noted Soren amongst the mercenaries' ranks.

"You forced this combat. We cannot allow you to return home. Are you ready to die?" No more words were exchanged between the opposing sides after Soren's comment.

Gatrie swung his lance around and smashed the tip of it into the General's left flank, creating a rather prominent gap in his armor. Shinon took this opportunity to end the battle by releasing an arrow directly into the hole. A scream of pain torn itself from the man's throat.

"Gwaa haa… wretched curs… you will regret your decision to oppose Daein..." the general mumbled with his dying breath.

As soon as the last threat was out of the way the party sheathed their various weapons, Rhys rushing about to see if anyway needed healing. "Did we suffer any causalities?" Ike asked, concerned.

"Any wounded or dead?" Titania questioned as she glanced over the other members. "No? Excellent! Well done," the deputy commander commended.

Gatrie looked over the dead Daeins, seeming rather worried about something. "I don't know…" he began. "Taking out these Daein soldiers may have been a bad move," he stated, his brow furrowing. The armored man glanced over to Shinon to ask his opinion on the matter when he saw the Sniper rifling through the pocket's of some of the dead soldiers. "Um… Hey, Shinon? What are you doing?" he asked his friend.

Shinon snorted. "This swine's got some nice weapons," the sniper replied. "Besides, he ain't gonna complain. He won't need them where he's going," the man spat coldly.

Ike, overhearing Shinon's comment, looked horrified at the Sniper's heartless statement. "Shinon!" Ike yelled.

Soren came toward them, irritated that they insisted on wasting time. "Get ahold of yourself!" Soren snapped. "We can't afford such behavior right now. Steal from the dead on your own time," the boy really hated Shinon at times.

Shinon turned on the mage angrily. "What?" he exclaimed in outrage. "You judgmental little…"

Titania cut in smoothly, not allowing Shinon to finish his insult. "Soren! Shinon!" she snapped at both of them. "Stop this at once! This is no place for us to waste time bickering amongst ourselves!" she finished sternly.

That was that. The mercenaries gathered again on the road and Ike spoke. "Let's clear out of here," he said after a moment when everyone was calmer. "We have to tell the commander what happened."

"Let's take this road," Soren said, indicating a small path that lead through the trees. "We should be able to cut through the forest and… Huh?" Soren cut himself off as he stared at the shadowed woods in confusion. He could swear he saw a figure move…

Ike stared at Soren, not having seen the form in the copse. "Something wrong?" the swordsman asked.

Soren shook himself out of his daze and turned his head to face Ike. "No. As I said, this road…" he tried to say once again, only for Rhys to speak over him.

"Wait!" the priest exclaimed. "Ike, I just saw something move on the far side of that thicket!" he finished noisily.

Ike's brows furrowed in confusion. "A wounded soldier perhaps?" he suggested. "Let's go have a look." The mercenaries slowly approached the group of trees, Ike giving the warning, "Careful, now," as they got closer.

The group split up and searched the dense thicket, looking for any sign of a would-be attacker. However that was hardly what they found…

"Oh, no…" Soren heard Rhys mumble as he glanced at something out of his line of sight.

"Did you find anything, Rhys?" Ike asked, coming closer.

"…It's a woman…" Rhys replied hesitantly looking over an unconscious girl.

"Leave her," Soren stated indifferently. "We shouldn't get involved in matters that don't concern us."

"Oooh…" the girl moaned, stirring slightly before limp once again in the underbrush.

"Thank goodness…" Rhys mumbled closing his eyes in a silent prayer of gratitude. "It looks like she's merely fainted," he finished in relief.

Ike looked at the oddly dressed girl a moment before saying, "Right. We'd better take her with us for now and make sure she's all right," the 'captain' of the scouting party moved forward and made to lift the girl. "Give me a hand, will you, Rhys?" Ike requested.

"Of course," Rhys replied calmly, moving to help Ike carry the woman over to Titania.

Soren frowned deeply, his crimson eyes narrowing in worry. For some reason a feeling of dread filled the boy. "…I don't like this…"

* * *

><p>End notes: Yes, now we're starting to get into the game a bit. First actual battle! I hope I did okay with the fighting and all. I'm not that great at writing fight scenes.<p>

(1) Of course we still have the classes. If it is capitilized then that probably means it is the title of the class itself and not an appositive for a certain person. sometimes it's both though...


	7. Chapter 6: The Battle Begins

Author's notes: Hola, senors y senoritas! Como Estas? No I don't expect you to reply to that. Chapter six is up! wow, I finally caught up to and passed Broken Lives! That's cool, but now I need to start working on that one. Doh!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. Me gusta comer tacos.

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><p>Chapter 6: The Battle Begins<p>

Soren sat at the desk in his private quarters. Several loose pieces of parchment sat neatly folded at one side. A quill was in his hand as he wrote out the battle report he would have to give to the commander later.

Soren had been there ever since they returned to the fort. Seeming as his people skills were not quite up to standards, it was understandable. Bringing the girl back along with them had caused a lot of questions and concerns for the other mercenaries, something in which Soren wanted no part of. He didn't exactly like being interrogated by a hysterical Mist.

Until the girl awoke there really wasn't much they could do for the time being. So Soren had retired to his room until his presence was requested. He _did_ have work to do after all.

He continued writing his report long into the night. The mage only stopped when he was so tired that he couldn't see the words he wrote anymore. At that point even Soren couldn't deny the need for sleep. Besides, if Daein attacked later (despite that event being unlikely) he would have to be alert to fight and be useful.

Without any further thought, he blew out the candle he lit on his desk and crawled into the small yet tidy bed in the corner. The boy didn't even bother with removing his heavier clothing. Curling up beneath the blankets, he turned on his side and closed his eyes. Soren, unusual as it was, fell asleep almost instantly after shutting them.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Soren," Soren heard Ike call as the commander's son ran to catch up with the newest recruit before he disappeared.<em>

_Soren turned and looked over at the slightly younger boy. "What is it Ike?" he asked with a hint of genuine curiosity._

_"Well, I know you haven't been here that long and all, but I was just wondering what you thought of the company."_

_The mage stared at Ike, masking his surprise with a blank expression. When was the last time someone asked his opinion? "I have food and adequate living space," Soren replied honestly._

_Ike sighed. "Soren… that's not what I meant. What I mean is did you make any friends while staying here, are you happy… things like that." Ike explained._

_Soren frowned at that, his eyebrows dropping in mild confusion. "Happiness is not necessary when compared to usefulness," the boy responded in the only way he knew how._

_"Soren…" Ike hesitated, not quite sure what to make of Soren's statement. "Who told you that?"_

_"I base my opinion's on what I've have seen and experienced," Soren answered. _

_"But that's wrong though!" Ike exclaimed, startling the young mage. "You shouldn't have to be just 'useful'. You should be who you want. No one should ever tell you different." _

_Soren didn't sleep that night. He was too busy thinking over what Ike told him earlier to sleep. Was… Ike right?_

* * *

><p>Crimson eyes snapped open when hurried and near frantic knocking awoke the sleeping boy.<p>

"Soren?" A feminine voice called. "Father said that he needs to see everyone in the briefing room right away!" Mist's childish tone of worry was rather irritating after just waking up.

"Very well," Soren replied calmly as he put on his sandals and grabbed a tome before exiting the room.

Mist was already gone by the time he opened the door. There was no one in the hallway, and Soren could hear the sounds of clanking armor. He ran down the corridors of the mercenary fort until he reached the briefing room.

Shinon, Gatrie, Greil, Mist, Oscar and Boyd were all in the room. Soren walked straight up to Greil, not bothering with anyone else.

"What's the situation?" he asked.

"See for your self," Greil responded grimly as he pointed out the window on the opposite side of the room.

Soren walked up to the window and glanced out. Though it was still quite dark outside, several torches illuminated the surrounding forest just enough to see numerous black clad soldiers all around the base. Most stayed in their positions, clearly under orders. However, in the distance Soren could make out the noise of one man saying something along the lines of 'give up the princess or die'.

The door to the briefing room opened and Titania and Ike walked in with Rolf right behind them. Soren turned around to face his companions. Everyone, including Mist and Rolf, had a grim expression.

"Is everyone here now?" Greil asked as he looked over the familiar faces.

"Yes," Titania replied as she made her way over to stand beside the commander.

"Commander, what are the Daein dogs saying?" Shinon asked as he heard the soldiers still shouting something.

"'Turn over the Princess Crimea and leave the area immediately. Comply now, or we will attack,'" Greil quoted. "Pretty straightforward," he commented.

"What are we going to do?" Gatrie asked.

"That's what we're here to decide," Greil responded. "One thing has been made clear by the arrival of our friends outside."

"So, I would say this confirms her identity as Princess Crimea, wouldn't you?" Soren guessed from what little information he had. It wasn't that hard to figure out after all.

"Yes," Greil stated. "But what do we do now? I'd like to hear the opinion of everyone here. Titania, I'd like to hear from you first," the man said glancing at his second-in-command.

Soren already knew who she would side with. It would be with Crimea. She still wanted Daein to pay for the destruction they caused her homeland. "The blame for this war rests on Daein. If we ally ourselves with them, the company's reputation will surely suffer. Conversely, if we deliver Princess Crimea safely, our stock will rise in the eyes of our primary employers. Our road is clear."

Greil nodded at her logical yet emotion driven response. "Soren, how about you?" he asked the boy next.

"There's nothing to think about. We must deliver the princess to Daein immediately."

"Even if Crimea is in the right?" Greil questioned curiously.

"We are mercenaries. Our actions are dictated only by self-interest. If we want to ensure our future, we need Daein in our debt. They will win this war, after all, and nothing else serves us better." Greil asked for his opinion and he gave it. They could not blame him for that.

After hearing the boy's words, Greil turned to Shinon and Gatrie. "Shinon? Gatrie?" he asked them at the same time.

Shinon, as ever, replied with a snide remark against Soren. "Soren's a pompous, superior whelp, but he's got the right idea. Besides, the destination's Gallia," Soren grimaced at that. He didn't like that place. "So it's a moot question. I don't care how much we get paid; there's no way under the sun I'm going to a stinking beast country!"

Gatrie's response was much less logical. "Princess Elincia… She does possess a certain regal beauty… There's a lot to be said for that, you know," The armored man nodded to himself. "However, I do prefer country girls… A bit cuter, and not quite so standoffish… Oh! Forget I said that. Whatever you decide is good for me, commander. Yep, uh-huh, yep," Even as he said that he sounded a bit uncertain.

Soren could swear Greil nearly rolled his eyes at Gatrie's little speech. "Oscar, Boyd," he addressed the brothers next. "What about the two of you?"

"I agree with the captain Titania. If we turn the princess over to the Daein army, we're essentially giving them permission to kill her." Such a thing would go against Oscar's morals.

"I'm in favor of helping her," Boyd spoke up. "That's what heroes are supposed to do."

"I believe that none of this hinges on whether she's a princess or not," Rhys said with surprising confidence. "Refusing to aid someone in need is not something we should ever do. That's what I think."

"That's right! Let's help her!" Rolf cheered at that.

"Please!" Mist begged. "We have to help her!"

"What about you Ike?" Greil asked his son last of all.

"I agree with Titania," Soren was not at all surprised at that. "I say we help her and take her to Gallia."

"I see. I think I know where you all stand," Greil replied. "…" There was a long pause as he closed his eyes and thought over the various responses he had received. "Well then, here's my decision." Greil said when he opened his eyes again. "We escort the princess to Gallia."

"…" Soren frowned at that, not liking the commander's decision at all. Really, it was nothing personal he had against the princess, he just… didn't want to go there.

"…Tsk." Soren heard Shinon hiss.

"…Are you sure that's for the best, Father?" Ike asked hesitantly.

"Yes," was Greil's quick response. "Besides, I think the choice had been taken out of our hands." Soren's eyes snapped open as he realized what the commander meant. It was too quiet…

"What?" Ike questioned in surprise.

"Open your ears and listen," Greil commanded. "Listen! All of you."

They all stopped talking and listened for a moment. "Huh?" Boyd said in confusion. "…What is it?"

"Uh…" Gatrie didn't seem to quite get it either. "I don't hear a thing…"

Shinon scoffed in his usual fashion. "Idiot!" he snapped at his 'friend'. "That's the problem. Don't you think that's a bit odd? Complete silence, in all four directions."

"Oh, so that's what you're talking about!" Gatrie's eyes widened in shock.

"Not only are the animals quiet, but the bugs are silent, too. And that is unnatural beyond belief. Which means…" Oscar trailed.

"We're surrounded," Ike concluded on his own. "The soldiers aren't waiting for an answer. They already decided to attack."

"It would appear they had no intention of keeping their side of the proposed bargain." Soren _almost_ thought Titania sounded smug. But this _was_ Titania after all.

"They were planning on lulling us into a false sense of security and destroying every one of us." Soren finished.

"Probably so," Greil stated. "But the deal is, we're not so naïve or inexperienced as to fall for their trap. Everyone, take your positions! We're going to settle this right now!"

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><p>End notes: Yeah not much action just a whole lot of talking. Don't worry their will be plenty of action next chapter.<p> 


	8. Chapter 7: The Calm before the Storm

Author's Notes: Yes, I am finally getting back on track with at least my Fire Emblem story. I least it didn't take as long as chapter six. Now we join our favorite mercenary band just as they begin the battle (this would be the chapter 'Flight!' in game). Enjoy and as a side note, I am not very good with battle scenes as of yet, so they do tend to trail off a bit, before coming back into focus.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or it's characters. (you know, I add the strangest notion that I could just copy and paste my previous disclaimers)

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><p>Chapter 7: The Calm before the Storm<p>

The mercenaries congregated outside the main entrance of their fort to set up their defenses along the bailey. The sheer number of the black clad soldiers was intimidating, but they weren't about to give up. Soren knew everyone would fight simply because Greil asked them to.

"Ike you're in charge of keeping the front," Greil commanded, glancing at his son. "I'll go around and hold the back."

"Yes sir," Ike responded immediately. As soon as the commander was gone Ike turned toward Soren. "Soren, do have any ideas?" Ike asked him hopefully.

"Titania and Gatrie should be able to hold off the main entrance," Soren said. "Ike, Oscar and Boyd will be the front for the side entrance. Shinon and I can attack from behind the defenses. Shinon will be with Titania and Gatrie and I will be with Ike's group. Rhys can stay in the middle and heal where necessary."

"Alright then. Mercenaries take your positions!" Ike yelled.

The mercenaries divided into their groups, Ike's group moving toward the side entrance and Titania's group going to block the main gate. Oscar stood, lance always at the ready, close to Boyd. Ike was on the other side of Boyd, and they formed a tightly knit wall, cutting off side route to the fort.

Soren took position behind Ike, seeming as he was the only who was able to stand his presence. Ike briefly glanced back at him as they waited for the soldiers to come. The blue-haired boy nodded once in encouragement, before turning back to face the oncoming horde.

This would be their toughest fight yet, but they could pull through. They _had_ to. Soren didn't want to be alone again.

The mercenaries tightly gripped their weapons, hearts beginning to beat almost uncontrollably. The anticipation of the battle ahead was nearly suffocating. In those few moments, the calm before the storm, Soren closed his eyes and hoped above all else that Ike wouldn't die.

Crimson eyes snapped open as the clang of metal against metal reached his ears. It had begun. Soren chanted silently in the ancient tongue, preparing a spell to send at the soldier nearest him.

Ike struggled to get a hit against the lanceman who had charged him. Boyd was doing relatively well against his soldier, seeming as his axe easily bypassed the man's lance and cleaved through his armor. Oscar was faring well with the enemies he encountered, his longer range and movement advantage with his horse hindered the soldiers who tried to approach him.

Boyd, as ever, was all strength and no actual skill. The Fighter swung his axe wildly, his attacks meeting his foe by mere chance. It seemed that Boyd was slacking with his training, as usual.

Soren rolled his eyes as he prepared another spell, his wind tome open in his hand. Whether they liked it or not this battle sealed the fact that they were now enemies of Daein. The soldiers would come for them no matter where they went because they had the princess among them.

He may not have been particularly pleased with this new development. However there wasn't anything that could be done about it. So for the moment they would have to fight. They could think over the consequences at a later time.

Coming back to reality, Soren blasted some lanceman giving Ike trouble, the strong wind strike knocking him back into the wall. Ike briefly glanced back at Soren and nodded his thanks. Without a second thought, Ike charged forward and cut down the archer who kept shooting at Oscar and Boyd.

Soren noted briefly that his friend had improved greatly, especially considering how his spars with the commander always ended. It made Soren wonder just how long Ike had been a true member of the company. Had it been days? Weeks? Had he only been on one mission before, or had he gone on several already?

"Ah!" Soren abruptly snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Ike's pained scream.

The swordsman was on the ground before a lancer, clutching his injured arm. His weapon was lying in the grass next to him, Ike having dropped it. Soren didn't wait as he waved his arm, the winds bending to his will.

"Ike!" Soren called to his friend. "Get back behind the lines. Oscar and Boyd can hold them off for now," the mage stated, already assessing the severity of the wound.

Ike glanced over at Soren, a look of pain clouding his features. The blue haired boy nodded and picked up his sword. Ike immediately went toward Rhys as the healer prepared his staff.

Because of the lack of Ike's presence on the front lines, the mercenaries were forced to fall back a little ways, making sure that the soldiers wouldn't be able enter into the fortress itself. A difficult feat now that they were down one fighter, but they could manage. Especially considering that Ike wasn't too badly hurt. Rhys would heal him and he could go back to helping Oscar and Boyd on the front lines.

The winds picked up again around them and Soren ended another man's life with only a few words and a hand motion. Kind of ironic that some say words can't hurt them. In reality words, can cut sharper then any blade…

In an instant Ike was standing next to Soren again, a confused expression on his face. "Where are they going?" Ike questioned as Soren now realized they had already begun their retreat.

Oscar rode up to him as soon as the last soldier was out of sight. "It seems they have decided to regroup for now. We should probably do the same," Oscar stated as he dismounted from his horse.

"Okay," Ike replied with a nod.

"We've cleared the surrounding area of troops," Soren stated simply as he glanced over the members gathered around. Soren noted a few who looked weary from the battle and Rhys was searching people over for injuries.

"There's no question about it," Ike began as he looked at Soren. "We're enemies of the Daein kingdom now, aren't we?" he asked.

"We've no time for rest!" Greil called to his men. "Everyone, pack your things _now_. We leave at once, before the enemy brings in reinforcements," he added grimly.

"Understood," Soren heard Oscar say. "Boyd! Come with me."

"Right behind you, brother!" Boyd called as the two brothers ran off to pack their things.

Greil rolled his eyes at the Fighter's antics, but paid it little mind as he looked over at the rest of them. "Rhys, Soren, I want you two to come with me and grab any important documents in the library. The rest we'll burn." Looking at Ike he said, "Ike, you're in charge of the princess."

"Got it," Ike replied.

Soren went with the commander to the library, the only room in the base that he could stand being more then five minutes in, other than his own room of course. He could always come there and sit and read in peace. Sometimes he'd even sit by the window to watch Greil and Ike train out in the clearing a good distance away. It was a great solace to him, and he always went there in whatever little spare time he had.

But in the end it was just a room, and the fort just a building. Things like that could be replaced. Lives, however seemingly meaningless, couldn't.

The moment he set foot in the library he began pulling the documents Greil was referring to. Some were simply maps of Crimea and Tellius, useful if they would be traveling. Other such documents were reports on the equipment they had and their finances. Soren even managed to find a few more wind tomes, these less worn then his.

"Soren hand me that map," Greil commanded, pointing at a map of Tellius nearby.

Soren complied without questioning him, something Greil appreciated at times. "What are you doing sir?" Rhys asked curiously as he watched Greil pull out a pen and set a false course for Begnion.

"What else?" replied Greil. "Giving them a false lead."

* * *

><p>Endnotes: I like Greil, I really do. I don't think the game gives him enough credit. You know, I even wanted to write an AU fiction where Greil doesn't die, just to see where it would lead.<p> 


	9. Chapter 8: The Sea of Trees

Author's notes: Aha! Chapter ocho. It's finally here! I actually had a bit of trouble figuring out how to end this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

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><p>Chapter 8: The Sea of Trees<p>

"Blazes! Why does it have to be so blamed humid?" Gatrie grumbled irritably. The armored knight was sweating profusely and looked ready to drop in the Gallian heat. "If we weren't being chased, I'd strip off this armor here and now."

Titania walked over to him, leading her horse through the dense jungle. "Then I'm almost glad we are being pursued," she stated humorously. "I suppose you'll just have to grin and bear it, won't you?"

Gatrie sighed, still quite uncomfortable in the humid forest. "Hm, I suppose I will."

"Right," Titania nodded as they continued on. "Enough of your griping," despite her words her tone was almost motherly. "You're merely wasting energy. Still, this heat is appalling," she couldn't help but agree.

"Dense forests such as these are not made for us _delicate_ humans," Shinon spoke up as he ducked beneath a low hanging branch. "Sub-humans love 'em, though," he muttered the last part darkly.

Titania gave him an odd look. "These… sub-humans…" Ike spoke, sounding uncertain of the terminology. "Are they really so different from us?" he asked.

Shinon glanced back at the boy in surprise. "What, you mean to tell me you've never seen a beast-man before?" he incredulously inquired.

"No," Ike responded with no small amount of confusion. "Never."

The sniper rolled his eyes stepping over fallen limbs. "Well, I have," he stated. "They're a hairy bunch, I'll tell you. And ugly as sin, too. Their faces are all fangs and whisker. Their claws are like daggers: razor sharp and deadly," as he spoke further on this his voice took a quieter tone to add to the effect. "And even though they can speak our language, they're beasts through and through. Savages, every one," he snapped the last part coldly.

"Are there more than one type?" Ike asked curiously as he gazed around to look at his companions.

At this Soren spoke up. "The ones Shinon calls 'sub-humans' can be divided into three groups, each one named for its physical characteristics," the boy explained as he walked behind Ike. "First, the beast tribe, next, the bird tribe, and finally, the dragon tribe. They're traditionally called 'laguz'. The laguz tribe residing here in Gallia is the beast tribe, who possess those feline qualities of which Shinon spoke."

Shinon picked it up from there. "To the south are the islands where the bird-men live. The dragons are in Goldoa. It's something _every_ mercenary should know," he stated smugly as he now found another reason to criticize Ike. "Looks like you know even less than I gave you credit for, Ike, my boy."

Ike gave him a blank look. "Hm… Perhaps." Shinon gave him an irritated look after the blue-head _agreed_ with him, and just walked ahead.

"A little farther and we'll be out of these trees, Ike," Soren said, changing the topic of discussion.

"Really?" Shinon called back to them, looking back at Soren. "That means Gallia proper! Compared to this forest, even a kingdom of _half_-_breeds_ will seem like heaven," the sniper stated coldly.

The group made there way further and further into the woods. Despite what Soren said it seemed like hours before they finally caught a glimpse of the exit. Greil called the company to halt as he saw this.

"Hold it right there, everyone. We're coming to the edge of the forest. Form up," he commanded. "Combat positions."

The fighters all got out their various weaponry and Titania and Oscar mounted their horses. As soon as she had done so, Titania rode over to the commander.

"I don't suppose our Daein pursuers were willing to let us just slip away," she said with a slight sigh.

Soren walked toward them as well. "There is no doubt that they will attack again," he stated. "Without knowing their numbers, it is difficult to advise a course of action," he warned them.

Greil glanced over at the boy and kindly said, "Take your best guess, Soren. With the limited information we have, what is the best way to proceed?"

Soren closed his eyes briefly, thinking over the question in his mind. His crimson eyes opened again and he replied with, "…Some of our group cannot fight. If we are caught, we'll have a difficult time defending them and attacking the Daeins," he thought over it as he spoke. "I propose we separate into two groups: a small fighting force to engage the enemy and buy the main group some time, and the rest of us—who will escort the princess to Gallia at full speed."

Oscar frowned at that suggestion and voiced his concern. "You want to divide our combat strength? The main force aside, don't you think the risk for the smaller group is too high?"

Soren looked over at the lance wielding knight. "I believe this is the only way to achieve our goal and keep casualties to a minimum," was his quick response. "It's possible there's an ambush waiting for us at the edge of the forest," he explained. "If we proceed with no plan, we may be caught between the pursuit and the ambush, which would be the end of us all."

Greil looked over his men and said, "Looks like we've got no choice but to give it a go. All right, let's split up. The diversionary team will be Gatrie, Shinon and me. The rest of you guard Princess Elincia and proceed to Gallia straightaway. Got it?"

Ike looked a bit concerned at that. "Are you sure you're taking enough men?" he asked.

"Idiot pup. Smaller numbers mean better mobility. Your time would be better spent worrying about yourself than about us," Shinon snapped at him. Ike didn't reply.

"Listen up!" Greil said sternly. "This will probably prove to be the biggest fight this company's faced. Remember—you've got only one life. I don't want any of you dying on me. In times like these, it matters not what our blood ties are. We are family. If you don't want to cause your family any grief, then live!" After his little speech, Greil then went back to giving orders. "Ike will be commanding the main force. Titania, you're his support. All right, let's move out! See you all in Gallia."

* * *

><p>"So they're waiting for us after all…" Ike trailed off as the mercenaries could now see the small army through the trees.<p>

"There are… more of them than I'd imagined there would be," Soren spoke up apprehensively, his red eyes searching over the dark armored soldiers. "I thought they would have been spread out across the forest border… I didn't expect to see so many in one place."

Ike glanced at him. "Do we rethink our strategy?" he asked.

"No," Soren responded quickly. "We've already split up. It's too late to reconsider now."

"Isn't there some way we can at least get the princess, Mist and Rolf to the far shore safely?" Ike pressed.

"There are two bridges…" Soren trailed, thinking over the plan in his mind. "This thicket extends to the edge of the westernmost bridge. If we can use the trees as cover, we might be able to reach the bridge undetected. From there, we can launch a surprise attack."

"We'll be creating a diversion, right?" Ike guessed.

"Correct. While we keep the enemy's attention, the princess and the others can cross the bridge to safety," Soren explained.

"We've got no time for discussion. That's the plan we go with," Ike stated firmly.

Elincia came over to where Soren and Ike stood hidden in the shadow of the trees. "My lord Ike," she began. "I… I will fight with you!" she stated seriously.

Personally, Soren thought she was crazy. Did she even have a weapon? An unarmed girl would merely be a distraction on the battlefield.

Ike seemed to think it over a moment before shaking his head. "…No, you won't," he stated simply.

"My lord?" the girl questioned confusedly.

"I cannot let you expose yourself to danger of any kind. Everyone here is risking his life to ensure your safety. If you understand that, you'll cooperate and do as I ask." At least he wasn't being so blunt as to outright say no without an explanation. That's probably what Soren would have done.

"I see…" the princess still sound somewhat disappointed, but she didn't make a fuss. "I will do my part."

"…" Soren didn't know why but the Princess Elincia irritated him greatly.

"It's settled then," Titania said, riding toward them.

"Right!" Ike nodded. "Let's break through their lines. Mist, Rolf," he called the two youngest members of the company over. "Take care of the princess and don't let yourselves be seen," he commanded firmly.

Mist nodded cheerfully. "Right. Be careful, everyone," the girl called to the rest of them before joining the princess.

"Leave it to us, Ike," Rolf said, smiling brightly. "We'll just pretend it's a game of hide-and-seek. And I never lose at hide-and-seek," he stated proudly.

Ike smiled as they headed back into the forest. But the instant he looked away from the three his expression turned blank again. "Everyone ready?" he asked. Seeing as they all had their weapons drawn and seemed pretty eager to get this over with, Ike just nodded. "Let's go."

The thickets made it difficult for them to maneuver through the forest but as swiftly as they could they reached the bridge. Ike motioned for Titania and Oscar to go first and take out the soldiers on the bridge. The mercenaries were already across the river before the Daeins knew what hit them.

Titania sliced an unsuspecting archer as she charged out of hiding. Oscar used his superior range to cut down a Myrmidon, his lance easily bypassing the iron sword the man wielded. The two had cleared the western bridge in a matter of seconds and the rest of the mercenaries charged out of the trees.

They all crossed the river and were met with more enemy soldiers. From their new vantage point, Soren could see that there were not as many Daein soldiers as he feared. Perhaps this would go more smoothly than he originally predicted…

"Ahhh!" At that sound everyone turned around just in time to see Boyd trip and fall into the river.

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><p>End notes: In actuality I never intended this chapter to be a cliffhanger. It was getting too long and I found that to be a convenient place to stop. I hope you enjoyed!<p> 


	10. Chapter 9: Escape

Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to update. I haven't exactly been focused on this story as of late. *Winces* I left you guys on a cliffhanger too, didn't I? I'm so sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, or any of it's characters.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Escape<p>

Soren sighed and quickly prepared a wind spell to take care of the lanceman who had knocked the oaf into the river. He hardly understood why Greil allowed Boyd to be a member of the company in the first place. He was reckless and far too clumsy too do any real good. Half the time the Fighter couldn't even hit his target.

As soon as the danger of approaching enemies was passed, Ike offered a hand down to the now soaked mercenary. "Need a hand?" Ike asked him humorously.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You won't be laughing when it's you in the river though," Boyd grumbled as he took the proffered limb.

"Right," the young captain replied, an amused smile still tugging at his lips.

After that point though, the battle became far less amusing, and far more troublesome than before. The opposing forces continued to trade blows for a long while, and for some it seemed as if the Daein soldiers had the upper hand. But than with a shout, Titania brought her ax down on the lancer that stood in front of the blockade the Daein army had set up before their arrival. The enemy general just barely managed to block the strike before Ike came around and slashed at his exposed right flank.

Soren, seeing the opening, also diverted his attentions to the lancer, and cast a wind spell in the Ancient Tongue. The blades of wind ripped through his armor, leaving an opening for Ike. Before the young 'captain' could react though, the soldier swung his lance around and caught him in the chest, knocking the boy back onto the ground.

At that point Oscar had just decapitated an archer, and turned in time to see Ike fall. He reared his horse around and charged the lanceman, and stabbed him through the torso. Soren, however, saw no more than that, his focus solely on Ike.

"Ike!" Soren called as he attempted to run over to him.

"Soren focus on the battle!" Titania yelled to him as she cut down a lancer who had tried to skewer the mage.

Soren's head snapped towards her and he glared slightly. He glanced back at Ike and saw that Rhys was with him now, and knew there wasn't much he could do for him anyway in this situation. He'd change that soon enough.

The mage felt rather than heard the soldier approaching him from behind, and silently began casting a wind spell. The words of the Ancient Tongue passed smoothly over his lips, a wind tome opened in one hand. His right hand was raised toward the unwitting man, and sharp gusts of wind cut through his armor. Boyd took the opportunity to cut the man down from behind using his axe, nearly cleaving the lance wielder in half.

The battle was over everywhere else, Titania and Oscar having taken care of the last of the stragglers who hadn't fled. Soren's crimson eyes scanned the area quickly, and saw nothing else that needed his attention. There was only one thing left to do.

The dark haired male turned on heel and swiftly made his way to where Ike and Rhys were. Ike was carefully rising to his feet, and for the more part, looked to be in fairly good shape. The blue haired 'captain' turned to look over at Soren and smiled slightly.

"Ike, what happened?" Soren asked as soon as he was in hearing range of the boy.

"I'm fine," he responded on impulse, "I just took a hit to the arm. I fell back at the last second so, it didn't do any real damage. Rhys healed me up, so I'll be fine," he smiled again, this time in reassurance.

"If you're sure," Soren said with a slight frown.

"Hey Soren, you should go on ahead. Mist, Rolf and the Princess Elincia may need help. We'll stay back a bit to make sure that none of the soldiers follow us."

The mage's frown only deepened, the red mark on his forehead creasing slightly as his brows furrowed together. "Is that a request or an order?"

Ike gave him a blank look. "An order," he stated flatly. "Someone has to look after the princess. I trust that you can do that for me."

"Of course," Soren responded immediately, not wishing to disappoint. "I'll follow your orders, but I don't like it. Ike, be careful."

Ike smiled. "I'll be fine. I have Titania, Oscar and Boyd with me. I'm gonna send Rhys on ahead with you, okay?"

"That is fine."

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken them too long to catch up to the non-fighter members of the group, the three having stopped behind some bushes that they deemed a safe distance away. As soon as Rhys and Soren came into view Mist stepped out of their hiding spot, closely followed by the princess and Rolf. Soren didn't see any serious injuries. That was good.<p>

"Is anyone hurt?" Rhys asked out of reflex.

"Nope," Mist responded, smiling brightly at the sickly healer.

"I'm good," the youngest of the three brothers stated.

"I am fine, sir Rhys," Elincia said respectfully, "but where is my lord Ike?" the girl asked out of concern.

"Ike and the others are unharmed," Soren spoke up, "We were sent on to check on you," he said unenthusiastically.

"Sir Soren?" The boy glanced at the princess.

"Can I help you?" he inquired coolly, a dark brow raised in question.

"I merely wish to thank you for your help in securing us safe passage to…" The princess began before being cut off by the boy.

"Your thanks are unnecessary and unwanted. I was only doing my job. Protecting you is a part of our contract; therefore it is my job to see you safely to Gallia's borders, as per the commander's orders," With that, the mage turned away from her and watched for any sign of the others.

"That wasn't very polite Soren," Rhys said quietly as he came to stand beside the young man. "I know I don't have much place to speak considering I haven't been here very long, and I don't know you very well, but… You… could at least try to be a little nicer."

Soren turned to the red-haired priest, leveling a cool crimson gaze on the healer. "Rhys, I am not here to make friends. I am simply here to work. If my job calls for me to calculate the risks of a strategy then so be it. If it calls for me to keep up with the finances and available weapons, then I will. The only reason I'm even here is because the job calls for me to be."

Rhys hesitated, before trying again. "Is… that all the mercenaries are to you? Greil and the others have been really good to me since I arrived here, and you consider this all to be just another job? What about what the commander said at the edge of the Sea of Trees? Did that mean nothing to you?" He asked, gaining confidence as he spoke aloud the questions that had been nagging at him for quite some time.

Soren outright glared at the frail man, and spoke harshly. "Do not pretend that you know anything about me. You know nothing. If you have nothing _useful_ to say to me, then I will _politely_ ask you to leave me alone," the boy finished coolly, throwing healer's words back in his face.

Rhys startled at the harsh bluntness of the young man's tone, and a look of hurt filled his eyes even as Soren walked away.

"B-brother!" Mist exclaimed as she ran toward her brother. Ike pulled his little sister into a tight hug, smiling slightly.

"We made it," he murmured. "I don't know how, but we made it…" he said softly as the rest of the mercenaries came closer to the siblings.

Mist released her brother from the hug and grinned up at him. Elincia chose that moment to speak. "My lord Ike!" the young royal smiled brightly, relief shining in her eyes.

"Mist, princess, Rolf…" He called to the three. "Are you all well?"

Rolf came up at grinned at him. "Yep! We're fine," the green haired boy stated happily.

"Is this Gallia?" Mist asked, looking around. "We made it, didn't we? We're safe now, right? I thought I'd feel different but I don't," she commented distractedly.

"This is all due to your efforts. Thank you," The princess said to all the mercenaries with the upmost sincerity.

"Princess Elincia…" Ike began looking over at the green haired girl.

Soren quickly cut him off, not wishing for Ike to let his guard down. "It's too early to rest easy," he stated. "The others still haven't rejoined us yet," he finished, referring to Greil, Gatrie and Shinon.

"Ah!" the princess cried in realization and concern. Did she truly think it would be that easy?

Titania cut in smoothly, not wanting to alarm anyone. "We are talking about the commander here. I don't think there is anything to worry about," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Father… Shinon… Gatrie…" Ike mumbled quietly, brows furrowing in worry. Soren frowned slightly. Ike glanced at Elincia. "Princess Elincia, I'm afraid we're going to have to part ways here.

A perplexed expression overtook the royal's features. "But what do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"We're going back to aid our companions," Ike stated firmly. "So I want you to continue with Mist to the royal palace of Gallia," he finished.

"What?" Ike's younger sister cried. "No! Ike, I'm going to stay with you!" the girl insisted.

"Listen to me Mist," Ike tried to explain as calmly as possible. "We must do it this way so that everyone gets out of here alive."

"Mm…" a torn look overcame the girls face.

"Father and I will catch up to you right away," Ike stated with a firm smile. "Don't worry. Have Father or I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Well… no," Mist said with resignation. "All right, then. We'll go ahead."

"Thank you Mist," Titania smiled. "We'll see you soon," she assured.

"All right," she seemed more sure of her response now. "Titania… Please take care of my brother. Promise?"

"You have my word on it," Titania replied with a wry grin.

"Where to, Soren?" Ike asked as he turned to his friend.

"We go east on the road we used before," the boy responded. "Let's find the commander before enemy reinforcements show up."

* * *

><p>Endnotes: The saddest part is that I finished nearly the entire thing in approximately a day and a half. I really hate writers block.<p> 


	11. Chapter 10: Fort Meritenne

Author's Notes: And you all thought I was dead. I apologize for the extremely late update, I was simply focusing on my new story Chosen Path (it's truly terrible. That one is already at chapter 6) and was only working on that one for so long. I just decided that I should get this one done soon, if not now. And I got it done. (sad, I know.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, or its characters.

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><p>Chapter 10: Fort Meritenne<p>

Soren scanned the field for any sign of their missing companions. As of yet they had been searching a few hours now, yet had still seen nothing of the commander, Shinon and Gatrie. He was beginning to wonder if maybe they had gone ahead after all…

"They're not here either," Soren heard Ike say, a deep sigh clouding his words.

The mage turned toward him. "Ike," he knew this would be hard for the young man to hear, but it had to be said. "Pursuing them any farther may be dangerous. I think it would be best if we returned to Gallia for now," he stated, as much as he loathed going back to that country of _beasts._ "It's possible that the commander may have followed another road into Gallia. It's something we should consider."

Ike thought it over a moment, before nodding reluctantly. "…You're right," he agreed, "getting killed looking for them would waste everything they accomplished by breaking away. I guess all we can do is hope that they are well and withdrawn."

Soren nodded at the wisdom of those words, admiring greatly how much Ike had grown over the sort time he had been a mercenary. The dark haired boy was certain that, just a few months ago, he would have insisted they keep up the search for their missing companions. Humans grew so quickly.

Titania approached the two, leading her horse instead of riding. "Ike, there's a fort over there," the red head stated, waving her arm in the direction of said building. "Just now, for a moment only… I thought I saw someone. Shall we investigate?" she inquired professionally.

Ike blinked at the news. "What? Really?" he thought it over for but moment. "Yes, let's go have a look."

* * *

><p>Soren frowned as they stepped through the darkened archway of the old Fort Meritenne, not liking the atmosphere of the place at all. Something felt… off. "It seems as though this place had been abandoned for a long time," he mentioned as he glanced over at Ike.<p>

"There's no one here," Titania murmured to herself. "Hm. I could've sworn I saw a silhouette, but…" the woman trailed. "I guess it must have been a trick of the light."

"Let's take a quick look around," Ike decided, speaking up. "If we don't find anything here, we'll head back to Gallia," he stated.

"Very well…" Titania agreed, sounding slightly… reluctant.

At that moment, Soren heard the clanking metal armor of a Daein soldier. Cringing inwardly at the vague, unpleasant memories that brought back, he turned to glance in that direction, the rest of his companions doing the same. The soldier spotted them quickly.

"Here they are! I found the Crimean mercenaries!" he shouted to the rest of his company. "Surround them!"

At that, Daein soldiers appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and soon trapped the heavily outnumbered mercenaries. Soren's frown only deepened, not liking the odds one bit as they were forced to retreat into a small corner of the room. He hated the feeling of vulnerability that pervaded when being forced to fight like a rat in a trap, but they had little choice in the matter.

"Ike, there are too many soldiers near the exit. If we make our way down this corridor and start picking them off one by one, we would stand a better chance," the mage advised, indicating the hallway to the right.

"Got it Soren," Ike nodded in acknowledgement. "Since no one else has a better plan we'll go with that."

"You and Titania should lead the charge, and Oscar and Boyd can cover the back," he continued to explain. "Rhys can heal from the middle, and I will strike were it is needed," Soren finished.

Everyone got into position, and Soren took out his trusty wind tome. It may have been getting old, but it was still useable, and any magic was better than none. The first attack came from behind; two soldiers, a swordsman and a lance-wielder, tried to decapitate Boyd.

Thankfully, Oscar managed to hold them off long enough for the clumsy axe fighter to chop off one of the lanceman's arms. Oscar swung his lance back around and impaled the swordsman when he tried to skewer his brother. Soren sent a quick wind spell and finished off the other soldier.

On the other front, Titania and Ike were having little difficulty, mostly due to the fact that there were, as Soren said, fewer soldiers that way, and Titania was the most experienced out of all the mercenaries, aside from Greil himself. It was simply a matter of keeping ahead of the spears and axes and swords of the oncoming enemies, something which Ike seemed quite adept at. He would run up to a soldier, lash out with his sword, dodge, then strike again with a counter-attack when they were off guard, more often than not kill the Daein soldier before much damage could be inflicted on him. It was a rather effective strategy as Titania could take care of any that slipped passed his guard and prevent them from getting to the vulnerable Rhys and Soren.

They made excellent progress, in Soren's opinion, and the boy began to wonder about just how poorly trained the Daein soldiers were. They didn't seem quite as difficult as they were made out to be. But then why was it that…?

"Hah!" Ike, Titania and Soren, Rhys was to focused on healing Boyd to notice, stared in surprise as a girl charged out of one of the nearby corridors.

She wore, orange color clothes, and armor. A white headband kept her long, bluish-purple hair out of her green eyes. She held a small, slim sword in one hand and would occasionally lash out at any nearby soldiers with it.

Ike and Titania spared a glance at each other, and they started moving forward with far more speed than before. They reached the girl with little difficulty, but she, evidently, thought that they were enemies at first and attacked Ike. The girl performed an expert back-flip before charging Ike with her sword raised. Ike blocked her strike with his sword, but she quickly pulled away and stabbed at his throat where his armor was weakest. Soren chanted a spell and sent a heavy wind strike to blow the girl back.

She hit the ground on her rear and her sword flung out of her hands, clattering to the stone floor. Glancing up at them, she stared in confusion, her green eyes sparkling in the dim light. "You're not Daein soldiers," she spoke in surprise.

"No, we're not. We are a group of mercenaries with the Crimean Army. We came to find our commander, Greil, in this fort but we found ourselves trapped by Daein," Ike responded as he offered her his hand. He helped the girl to her feet and she retrieved her sword.

"Crimean, huh? I was a mercenary too. I was hired by Crimea to bolster the Crimean military, but I grew careless and got caught by Daein. So Greil's your commander then? That settles it, I'm going to be working with you now," she chirped cheerfully, a bright smile coming onto her features.

"Wait, what?" Ike asked in shock as his eyes bulged. "I don't think I have the authority to do that…"

"Don't worry about the money. I already spoke with your commander when he got me out of the prisons here. I just what to help you take care of the soldiers here so we can get out of this place," the girl replied.

"Ike," Soren spoke up from behind, "I think it would be within our interests to allow her to fight. If she wants to, just let her, we could use all the help we could get," he stated logically.

"Alright, you can fight," Ike said after a short pause. "But what's your name first?"

"I'm Mia," the girl responded. "Don't worry, you won't regret this decision, boss!" Mia beamed, a slight grin on her face.

Soren stared at her for a long while. "How come I'm not so sure about that?" he muttered to himself, a frown coming over his pale features.

Ike glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "Did you say something Soren?"

"Nothing," was Soren's immediate response.

* * *

><p>Endnotes: Enter Mia! I actually really like Mia, and have read a few stories with a MiaSoren pairing. Not sure if I would ever do one myself, but I have nothing against that pairing. And no I don't consider it a 'crack' pairing seeing as they would be more likely to have some interaction (though not directly in the game) then some other pairings. Seriously people? Shinon/Soren? They hate each others' guts! I mean, I can understand were the idea for some yaoi pairings come from (even though I think they were never more then good friends) but this one is just stupid/ridiculous! I'm sorry, I'll stop ranting now.


	12. Chapter 11: Despair

Author's Notes: call this filler, and I will have to hurt somebody. I know it took me forever and a day to finish but I truly have completed Chapter 11. I am so sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or the Characters related to the game, namely Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn.

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><p>Chapter 11: Despair<p>

Soren sighed lightly, a frown covering over his pale features. His brow furrowed, allowing the crimson mark on his forehead to crease slightly. Something didn't feel right, and because of this he couldn't get any sleep.

Soren quickly sat up in the cot that had been placed in one of the side rooms of the ruined castle. He glanced out the window into the dark night, perhaps hoping to find the cause for his unease in the sky. The only sights that greeted him were the stars and moon, as they bathed the surrounding forest in a soft white glow. It did little to assuage the building anxiety in his chest.

Deciding he wouldn't get any sleep like this, Soren pulled out some parchment and a quill pen from his sparse belongings, using his work as a means of distracting his mind. It didn't work very well, and he found himself thinking back to the events of the day, and he wondered why things were happening so fast. Even as he began scratching the numbers from the battle report, he thought about that black armored knight, and he was _almost_ curious about just how powerful this knight was, and how much authority he had to command one of the four riders to back down like that.

* * *

><p><em>Soren didn't know when exactly the battle had ended, simply that it was over. Shinon and Gatrie had already rejoined their group and Titania had followed the corridor where the commander and the Daein general had gone. It was now a matter of whether or not they would follow them as well. <em>

_"Ike?" Soren asked, frowning when he saw the look in his friend's eye. "You intend to follow Greil," it was not a question._

_Ike glanced back at his shorter companion. "You don't have to follow me Soren," Ike stated. "Just tell the others to wait outside for us to rejoin you. It shouldn't take too long."_

_"I'm going," Soren insisted. _

_Ike smiled. "Thanks. Whatever else they may say of you Soren, you're a good friend."_

_'Friend?' Soren thought to himself. _

_He made no reply as the others gathered near the corridor Greil and Titania disappeared down. "We going after them?" Boyd asked, as he glanced over at Ike._

_"You don' t have to follow, but I am," Ike responded._

_"We couldn't leave you to go alone," Oscar shook his head. _

_"What are you waiting for you little whelp? Too scared?" Shinon insulted snidely. _

_Ike ignored him and hurried down the passage, Soren but a moment behind. The brick corridor was long and narrow, but gave way into a wider room, where Greil stood. Titania had stopped several yards away from him and the green haired general that still rode her horse even in the narrow halls of the old fortress. She held a red-tinged lance in one hand and wore black and red armor, like the majority of Daein soldiers._

_"Titania, Father!" Ike called to them, ready to jump in and help the commander, who was still facing off against the Daein general._

_"Don't worry Ike," Titania soothed, glancing back at the boy. "The commander is the better fighter."_

_Soren and the others came to stand beside Ike and Titania, who were watching the ensuing battle between the two forces. Both were clearly skilled warriors, but Greil had the upper-hand, and the woman's lance was hardly effective against the commander's double-bladed axe. The two broke apart suddenly, and the woman growled in irritation._

_"Dog's breath! Who are you? You may be a sellsword but you fight like a demon!" she exclaimed breathlessly, her reddish-brown eyes narrowing into a glare as she stared Greil down._

_The commander smirked and said, "What's wrong? Ready to surrender?" The two regarded each other with cool looks of mild scorn, and they glared until the Daein general was forced to look away briefly._

_She scoffed. "And admit defeat? Don't be absurd!"_

_At that moment a soldier ran into the room from the corridor behind the general. "Here, over here! I found them!" the soldier yelled to all those within hearing range, his voice echoing off the stone walls. A platoon of soldiers came up behind the first, with several lancemen in front and two archers near the back. _

_Ike grimaced. "Blast! Enemy reinforcements," he trailed. "Father," Ike called to the commander. "Let's get out of here, there are too many…"_

_Greil cut him off. "Looks like I have got no choice," He rushed back to their line just as several more platoons came out all the other corridors._

_The green haired female general laughed. "So now the tide has turned, hasn't it?" she smirked at them with an air of smug satisfaction. "All troops, kill them, kill them now!" She shouted, as she raised her lance out towards the mercenaries. _

_Greil frowned. "Looks like our lucks run out," he glanced back at the rest of them. "You have to survive this Ike," Greil stated firmly, his eyes showing no trace of hesitation as he drew his weapon once more. "I'm not going to lose you, not in this place. Are you ready?"_

_Ike jumped in surprise but nodded quickly. "Yes commander!" he exclaimed in acknowledgement, drawing his sword._

_"You have no where to run," the general snidely commented. "Curse whatever gods you hold, for they have abandoned you!" she spoke, haughty laughter accompanying her words. _

_But just as she said this, a roar echoed through the halls of the Fort Meritenne, silencing whatever taunts and jeers the Daein general was going to add. Horror overcame the Daein troops and they turned this way and that, trying to figure out where it had come from. Another roar, this one closer then before, and sounding far more ferocious than the last, rang through the room._

_Ike blinked in confusion, turning to glance among his fellow comrades. "What was that?" he voiced his thoughts aloud._

_"B-b-b-beasts!" one soldier cried. "Gallian beast soldiers!"_

_"Run! We're going to be torn to shreds!" another bemoaned._

_In a blind panic, the entire Daein troop scrambled about, turning back to flee down the corridor's from whence they came. "Stand your, ground, all of you!" The Daein general shouted at them. "Don't panic!" she snapped harshly. "I will personally slaughter the first man to turn his back on the enemy."_

_"N-no!" a soldier from the group nearest the general cried. They were the only ones to stay as all the others disappeared down the dark passageways._

_"Pfew, worthless cowards one and all," the woman scoffed._

_Soren couldn't help but feel the same resentment as the Daein general. Even he would scoff at such cowardice. _He_ would have fought against the sub-humans if it meant protecting the things most important to him._

_It was then that a small group of about four Daein soldiers, ran back into the room through the corridor to the left of the mercenaries. "B-b-b-beasts!" one cried breathlessly._

_Three transformed, Gallian beast warriors bounded through the passage way, followed shortly by four more. One of the more prominent ones was a dark blue tiger and yet another, apparently the leader, was a light blue cat. The last was a smaller orange colored cat laguz. All had their fangs bared and their claws out. _

_The blue cat stepped in front of the others, and shifted to his half-form. "Attention Daein soldiers," he called above the fearful cries, "Leave this place at once!" the cat laguz commanded sharply, face set into a frightful stare, his ears twitching slightly. "If you don't comply immediately, you will face Gallia's full might," he added warningly._

_Soren felt an indiscernible anger rising within him. He set a full-on glare at the laguz who thought himself so high and mighty, above the rest of the world with his pretty speech. Creatures like that disgusted him._

_The Daein woman glared down at the laguz from atop her black horse, and said, "Threaten me all you like, it's not going to frighten me off. If I leave his majesty will have me executed," she stated as if it were common knowledge. "I would rather die in battle with my honor intact!" she spat out._

_As she spoke another figure emerged from the right, opposite of the Gallian warriors. Cool ebon armor covered his body from head to toe, and a blood red cape spread out in his wake. A large, two-handed sword was sheathed at his side, and his footsteps fell heavily on the floor as he walked._

_"Withdraw General Petrine," the figure commanded, his voice seemingly distorted by his armor._

_"The Black Knight…" Petrine muttered in fear and awe._

_"As for your king," the knight spoke again, "you have nothing to fear. Take your men and go," he commanded._

_General Petrine made a noise in disapproval, but did as she was bidden. "All troops fall back!" She commanded, to her soldiers' relief._

_The Black Knight's head tilted toward the mercenaries, and Soren felt a chill go up his spine. There was something about this man that didn't feel right. _

_"He's staring at you, isn't he father?" Ike asked slowly as the commander continued to stare at the enigmatic figure._

_"Yeah, he is," Greil responded quietly._

_The blue haired cat laguz ran forward so that he was near to Greil. "Hey!" He shouted at the knight. "Are you planning on taking us all on by yourself?" he questioned sharply._

_The knight made no response, and instead turned and walked back down the corridor._

* * *

><p>Soren sighed, unsure of how to process this new information. That knight, the Black Knight, Petrine had called him, was evidently a rather high standing Daein general, likely one of the Four Riders of Daein. The cat laguz they had met earlier was some form of aide to the king of Gallia, and the female Daein general Petrine was still at large, probably hunting them down this very moment. Soren still thought it was very foolish for that cat, Ranulf was his name, to let those soldiers go. It was blatantly obvious they would return and in greater numbers. It really was only a matter of…<p>

Soren's head snapped toward the window, a frown crossing over his stern features. Two forms were returning to the castle, one leaning heavily on the other, and in the dark Soren couldn't make out who they were. The boy rose swiftly from where he sat and went to the door of the room, opening and shutting the door behind him.

He traced his steps back to the front entrance of the castle, a map instantly being formed in his mind about which way to go. As he came out of the corridor into the large room near the entrance, he noted the torches burning along the wall, and saw within their light, Titania standing in the doorway of the castle, gazing outward in confusion.

"Titania, what's going on?" Soren demanded, more so than asked.

She suddenly started and glanced back at the boy, "Soren, go get Rhys, now!" she commanded racing toward the approaching figures that Soren now recognized as Ike and Greil. For some reason, it just started raining.

* * *

><p>Endnotes: Uh, oh. Poor Greil, I really hate killing him... I even had several scenarios for how I could keep him alive in my head.<p> 


	13. Chapter 12: Hope

Author's Notes: Really? Really? I finally come back to this story after so long? I know I am terrible.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem (it's been far too long since I had to say that).

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><p>Chapter 12: Hope<p>

The Commander Greil had been buried the next day. Ike, Oscar and Boyd all dug the hole, and the only thing acting a memorial was Urvan, the commander's weapon of choice. After he had been placed in the ground and covered over with dirt, everyone, including Shinon, stood around with a lost look in their eyes.

All the while Soren watched from a distance. He didn't know what it was or why it was there, but something twisted in his gut. It felt… wrong, like stale, month old bread. A heaviness was in his heart, and already a sense of longing, to go back to the way things were, claimed his heart.

Even so, he couldn't keep the anger and hurt he felt toward Greil from rising. How could he leave them? How could he leave _Ike_? Soren had felt the sting of betrayal before, but this was far worse. Guiltiness weighed on his consciousness; it wasn't the commander's fault. Something twisted within him again. No, it wasn't the commander's fault; it was that knight, the one from Fort Meritenne. Though Ike never spoke of what happened that night, Soren was so sure of it.

With a frown Soren watched as the mercenaries, the first to leave were Gatrie and Shinon, left the clearing. To him, they were abandoning Greil. He knew it was a necessity, but it still felt so… wrong.

The only ones left now were Ike, Mist and himself, the others having left long ago. Ike stood solemnly, gazing down at his father's grave with a form of serious contemplation. Mist sat next to him, her head buried in her arms, crying softly, almost so that no one could hear her. To Soren, him simply being there was like intruding on a scene meant for no one to see, even as he hovered at the edge of the clearing.

Finally, he turned away, knowing they would come back when they were ready. Soren took a deep breath to calm his fraying nerves, hoping he could keep up his façade of indifference around the others. The last thing he wanted was to have to answer a hundred questions.

Soren's mind already raced with hundreds of his own. His jaw stiffened, his fists clenched at his sides. Soren didn't know why, or what it was, but he was certain he could have done something to prevent this. Ike hadn't mentioned what had happened, only that the commander was attacked by a soldier, undoubtedly a Daein soldier. Soren had a sneaking suspicion that it was that knight they saw in the Fort Meritenne the other day. If he hadn't suggested they split up into two groups…

"So What, you're just going to give the chain of command to that little whelp?" A furious, familiar voice roared out as Soren approached the castle. He frowned. What was Shinon going on about now?

"Shinon, that's what the commander would have wanted. I you truly going to go against his wishes?" Titania's voice was soft, and she sounded as if she had been crying not long ago.

"That pup doesn't know how to lead a group of whelps, much less mercenaries!" Shinon snapped back.

"Oh, come on Shinon!" that sounded like Boyd. "Are you really gonna abandon the team just because Ike is the new boss? That's low, even for you!" the fighter yelled at the red-haired sniper. "Everyone else is fine with it!"

Soren stepped up into the doorway, and silently watched the argument from his vantage point. Shinon stood in the midst of the mercenaries, his bow and quiver slung over his shoulder, along with a small pack of provisions. Gatrie, far too loyal for his own good, stood at his side, fully clad in is armor along with his lance and a pack resting at his feet. Soren glared at the two from where he stood, fully aware of their intentions.

"Sorry Titania, but I agree with Shinon on this one. I don't think Ike is ready to take on command of the mercenaries. He is just a boy," the armored-knight stated, far more calmly than his companion.

"Shinon, Gatrie!" Titania practically pleaded as they started to head toward the exit, going straight for Soren.

Shinon sneered when he saw the boy, and gave him a harsh shove. Gatrie, not a moment behind, simply gave a regretful look. "Traitors," Soren hissed to himself, glaring at their retreating backs as the two disappeared into the dark forest.

Titania glanced up at him, and gave him an almost surprised look. "Oh, Soren, you're here," did she expect him to have left like those two? "Where are Ike and Mist?" the woman asked softly.

"They were still by Greil's grave," the boy stated emotionlessly, having regained control of himself. "Now if you'll excuse me…" he turned and went down a random corridor, unsure of where he was going.

* * *

><p>"Ike," Soren stated as he saw the new commander of the mercenaries walk into the room.<p>

Titania looked up at that, and said, "oh, Ike, where's Mist?" she asked immediately, noting the girl's absence.

"She's resting in her room," Ike said dully. "Rhys and Rolf are with her."

Titania sighed. "That's good. She needs to sleep. She's been through too much; we all have…" the woman trailed off toward the end. "You should rest too Ike," Titania suddenly said, noting the boy's run-down appearance.

"I'll be alright," Ike insisted. "Grief won't bring my father back to life," even as he said this, Soren knew he didn't wholly believe that. Ike considered his next words carefully, something he usually wasn't inclined to do. "I know I have been a burden on the both of you," he said slowly. "Titania, Soren, I just need to thank you both for staying here with me."

"Not at all…" Soren spoke immediately. He knew it wasn't Ike's fault; none of it was. If anything, Soren had been the burden…

Titania smiled. "There is no need; don't trouble yourself," she insisted.

A moment of pause. Ike glanced around the room and saw no one nearby. "So… where is everyone?" he asked in confusion.

Titania bit her lip nervously, but Soren remained as blank faced as usual. "Ike, to tell the truth…" Titania began slowly, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"Yes?" Ike asked, slight impatience making his voice thin with what might have become irritation if left to fester too long.

A door could be heard opening before Titania could finish, and they all turned to see Oscar and Boyd hurry into the room, going straight to Titania. It looked as if neither of them had yet seen Ike. "Boyd and I are back," Oscar stated as professionally as ever.

"How did it go?" Titania asked, confusing Ike even further. Soren shook his head at that. Would he have to be the one to explain it?

"I can't believe it!" Boyd exclaimed in anger and frustration. "They just left, and didn't take one look back. Heartless scum! I'll never forgive them!" He went on ranting before Ike decided to speak up.

"Boyd? What's going on?" Ike asked squarely.

"Ike!" Boyd exclaimed in surprise, not having expected to have to face him so soon. "Are you alright?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'm fine," Ike responded, eyes narrowing into almost a scowl. "Tell me what's happened," he commanded, "Start talking."

"Well, uh," Boyd trailed off. "What I mean to say is… Uh…" he bit his lip, unsure of where to begin.

Soren sighed, knowing he would have to break the news. Never one to beat around the bush, he said, "Shinon and Gatrie have left us," he stated bluntly.

"Soren!" Boyd yelled at him.

Soren snorted. "What?" he snapped at Boyd, his patience having been worn far too thin by the day's events. "There is nothing to hide is there?"

"They left?" Ike asked in confusion. "Both of them? Why did they… Oh, I see," he said in realization. "They left because of me, didn't they?" Ike sighed.

"Ike…" Titania seemed unsure of what to do.

"Titania told us you were going to be the new commander," Boyd explained sheepishly. "Shinon just about exploded. He had Gatrie left not long ago."

"We went after them," Oscar spoke next. "We tried to talk things out, but it was just a waste of time."

"We all knew Ike was going to inherit the company didn't we?" Soren asked plainly. "It just happened sooner than we wanted. It was Greil's decision. If some of us aren't happy with that, there's no reason we should stop them from leaving," he stated coolly. "As far as losing fighting strength goes, we can solve that by adding new members."

"How can you say that?!" Boyd shouted at him. "After all the battles we have been through together, how can you say that?"

Soren flinched ever so slightly. _'I am well aware of that!'_ he thought angrily. But instead of snapping back though, he bottled it up, forcing his anger down this time.

Titania sighed. "Forgive me Ike," she murmured softly, taking the burden on herself. "I wasn't able to stop any of this."

"It's not your fault Titania," Ike responded. "They did what they felt they had to do. They didn't want to lose their lives to an inexperienced commander," he stated honestly.

"Ike!" the woman shook her head. "Don't talk about yourself like that."

The boy stared at her blankly. "I'm not saying that to gain anyone's pity, it's the truth," he shrugged his shoulders lightly. "But even so, I have no intention of giving up command of this company. I'm going to follow my father's wishes, I'm going to assume command," a new light of determination was kindled in his eyes, so clear and bright that anyone could see it. "If everyone will accept me, that's what I'd like to do."

A smile came to Titania's face. "Of course." There was the Ike she remembered, he was still there.

Oscar spoke next, coming to stand beside Titania. "I'd already made up my mind. That's what I was going to do all along."

Boyd snorted and stated, quite jokingly, "What you want me to start calling _you_ boss? Is that it?" he smirked. "Well, I can do that! Boss it is."

"I'm in too," Rhys said as he came out of the woodwork from wherever he had been hiding.

"Rhys!" Ike said, both startled and surprised.

"Mist's asleep," Rhys explained serenely. "I know I missed most of the conversation, but I have a good idea of what you've been discussing," the frail priest smiled. "Commander Ike… yes it does have a nice ring to it."

Ike as well smiled as he watched all his closest friends gather. But there was still one more. Ike turned to look at Soren, who stood quietly at his side for nearly the entire conversation. "What about you, Soren?" Ike asked softly, wondering what he would do without him, if the boy decided to leave. But no, Ike could read the look in his eyes, and already knew what the boy's answer would be.

"…Ike, I'm not sure what help I can be to you," he sighed lightly, and for once, voiced aloud his fears, but too quietly for anyone else to hear him. "What place is there for me in a mercenary company anyway?"

Ike quietly chuckled to himself. "You're so weird," he said in good humor. "I've always depended on you haven't I? I need your tactical knowledge, I need your objectivity," Ike explained himself, "your not going to leave me, are you Soren?"

"Don't be worried. I'll be here," so quietly that no one else could hear him, he added, "watching over you."

Ike smiled to him, and he saw the faintest traces of one being formed on the mage's lips. "Thank you," he addressed to Soren. Then to everyone he said, "I know I'm not as experienced as most of you. I'm going to make some mistakes, but I'll try not to let you down."

* * *

><p>Endnotes: not that this isn't fun, but I'm going to go eat now.<p> 


	14. Chapter 13 Sub-human

Author's Notes: Ah, Chapter 13. Took awhile I know, but I actually mostly finished it in one go. In other words, I sat down today and started typing until it was finished. Not very much going on, but I always did want to write this scene, so why not dedicate a whole chapter to it, eh?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, or it's characters.

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><p>Chapter 13: Sub-human<p>

Soren ground his teeth together in frustration. It was a simple background noise, hardly noticeable unless someone was looking for it, but it was there nonetheless. How could they be so foolish enough to actually trust those… those… _sub-humans_?

It was so entirely stupid in his mind's eye that they would let their guard down so easily when those beasts were so close at hand. That was not his breaking point though; he could deal with such a minor frustration. No, what set him off was the way that idiotic female cat started _belittling Ike_. Saying all beorc had two faces… How dare she, one of those filthy _sub-humans, _talk like that? It's not as if they were any better.

"What's your point?" Soren had reached his limit. With the recent death of their commander, then the battle with the Daein soldiers, and lastly the betrayal of Shinon and Gatrie… it was all too much, too soon. "Have you come all this way to complain to us?" He knew he was being harsh, overly critical, but at that moment it felt too _right_ to stop. Finally, after all those years, he could say what he really felt about those _beasts_. "Ha ha…" he laughed hollowly, a bitter sound in the emptiness of the Gebal Castle. "Typical _sub-human_," he spat the name out the same way one might say scum or filth.

"Scum!" the cat girl hissed. "Those who use that name are enemies of Gallia!" she practically shouted at him, glaring with furious blue eyes filled with scorn, and hate; all those things she had said were directed at laguz. How hypocritical.

Mordecai as he had said his name was, growled lowly in his throat, anger clear in his expression. "sub-human," he muttered the name distastefully, as if he had swallowed something quite bitter. "Enemy…" he growled, "he is enemy," Mordecai glared at Soren.

Soren clenched the wind tome at his side tightly, knowing well what would come next. "You think your humans?" the mage asked incredulously. "The only thing human about you is your conceit! Filthy, hairy sub-human!" for the first time in a good long while, Soren raised his voice, usually so cold and aloof, but it was now filled with anger and scorn.

Mordecai released another angry growl, now fully prepared to attack. He shifted without so much as a second thought, his tiger form so much stronger, and more powerful then his frail opponent. Still, Soren refused to back down, he had been backing down to those beasts for far too long, but not this time. This time he would remain standing.

"Mordecai, kill him!" came Lethe's hiss-like shout, acting as a form of battle cry. Soren didn't say anything, but he didn't go to strike back either. It would be pointless anyway, considering the enraged tiger would reach him long before he could finish a single spell.

Soren watched as the beast began its charge forward, holding his ground. He would not run from this one. Of course, the boy hadn't expected Ike, foolish, headstrong Ike, to get in the way of the attack. No, it was so stupid of him to even consider that the boy _wouldn't_. Ike wouldn't stand by and watch his friend die, not if he could have prevented it.

It was then that Soren felt a knot being formed in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sorry that he had spoken like that, he was known for his harsh words, and he had no particular pity for such beasts. His only concern was that Ike had been injured on his account. Oh what had he done? Because of what he said, it was Ike lying in front of him, a deep bleeding gash in his chest.

"Ike!" the boy gave a startled, horrified cry, his red eyes widened in fear and alarm.

"Ah!" Ike gave a short cry of pain, holding his arm firm against the scratch.

"What?" that beast had the gall to sound more surprised than alarmed at what just happened. Perhaps what he had thought of sub-humans was… quite accurate?

Mordecai untransformed almost immediately, and gasped out "I-Ike…" sounding at least remorseful.

'_Good!'_ Soren thought to himself, _'he should be after what he did!'_ even so, Soren still felt horrid, knowing he was partly to blame for it all.

"…Ike," Mordecai mumbled sadly. "I'm sorry… I have hurt you. I did not intend to hurt you," He apologized profusely. Soren frowned.

"Mordecai, this injury is nothing, I'm fine," Ike insisted, giving him a small, understanding smile.

Nothing? _Nothing?_ He could have killed Ike! A building anger burned deeply in Soren's heart as he realized this, and his own guilt melded with this, and latched onto this thought like a parasite infecting its host. "You're nothing but a beast!" Soren spat silently speaking the words of a wind spell under his breath the moment he finished speaking.

He rushed passed Ike as the wind began to pick up around him, bending to his will. "Soren!" Ike shouted in warning, staggering to his feet. Ike grabbed the boy's arm, not forcefully, just enough to get his attention. "Stand down!" he ordered, and Soren wouldn't have disobeyed even if he wanted to.

"Why did you stop me?" Soren was more surprised then angered. Wasn't he at all concerned about his own life? "He hurt you! He could have killed you! We can't let him get away…!" even as he said this, Soren knew what Ike's answer would be.

"If you hadn't provoked him, none of this would have happened. Right?" Ike's voice wasn't necessarily unkind, but Soren instantly recoiled, taking it as a rebuke.

"But… I only…" Soren knew that if he tried to explain, Ike wouldn't understand. Besides, everyone else was listening; it was _his_ life, certainly none of their business. He only wanted to explain to Ike… "I'm sorry," admitting he was wrong was better than explaining; he didn't want to be on bad terms with Ike. Besides that, it was really more like he was apologizing _to_ Ike about what happened. He was saying he was sorry that Ike was injured, not that he was sorry for speaking out of terms to the sub-humans.

"Mordecai, Lethe, I apologize on behalf of my company," even as he said _company_, Soren knew what he meant. "Please forgive Soren. It's a poor excuse, but we recently lost… some companions," Soren winced at the slight hesitation he picked up on when he said _companions_. "We're tired, and we're not thinking clearly."

"Ike forgave Mordecai, so now I forgive Soren. No one need be angry." Soren snorted. Like he needed or wanted the beast's forgiveness.

"I apologize as well," haughty Lethe now just decided to make amends; how typical of a sub-human. "My behavior was unkind. I forgot our mission and I have blundered terribly."

"Mission?" Ike inquired, now curious.

Lethe nodded lightly. "the king wants to see you. We are to guide you to the royal palace."

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><p>Endnotes: This is actually the scene were I first started really noticing Soren, and one of the reasons I began liking him so much. He is just one of those characters who is hard to like at first until you start to dig deeper and actually unravel his character.<p> 


	15. Chapter 14: The Secret of Greil

Author's Notes: Yes, I know, I haven't updated this in, like, forever, but I honestly haven't forgotten about this story quite yet.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

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><p>Chapter 14: The Secret of Greil<p>

Soren stayed close to Ike for their entire stay in the Castle Gallia. Already he felt it beginning anew, and anger burned in his heart against those _beasts_. The laguz of Gallia refused to even look at him once, much less take a second glance. The only one of them who even showed the slightest interest in him was the leader of the laguz who had come to their rescue at the Fort Meritenne. Ranulf, Soren believed his name was.

This sign of neglect, this disdainful ignorance; Soren detested even over a beating. Slaps, hits, harsh words; those he could take easily enough, he had grown up with them. But the sub-human monsters' outright disregard for his very existence? That was deplorable to even Soren.

It was as if, by claiming ignorance of his existence, they thought he would simply disappear. This overlook on their part angered and frustrated him to no end. But worse then that… it left him empty, and so very alone.

Which is the very reason he stayed so close to Ike. The boy, now his commander, had been his first friend, the only person Soren ever _truly _trusted. Certainly, he had _respected _Greil, but trust and respect were two, very different things. If there was ever a single person Soren could count on to, at the very least, acknowledge his existence, it was Ike. He would stick by his side, even if that meant staying longer than was necessary in the presence of the king of Gallia.

"I would have Soren and Titania stay as well," Ike had said, stating that the Princess and Titania should also be here to listen to what Caineghis had to say.

"Me?" Soren spoke up in surprise. He glanced between Ike and the King of Gallia, the latter's face scrunching in, not necessarily repulsion, but at the very least a great distaste, as if he had swallowed something bitter.

"So be it," the king intoned in his deep, powerful voice. "This one shall stay also," Caineghis said, indicating one of his vassals, a dark lion shadowing the larger laguz. "This is Giffca, my shadow, pay him no more heed than you would the air.

"Understood," Ike said with a nod.

The king gave him a pleased look. "Now then, where to begin?" he mused to himself. Caineghis glanced at the red-haired Paladin standing behind Ike, and said to her, "Titania, how much did Greil tell his son?"

"Ike was raised with no knowledge of Gallia, nor does he recall ever having been here," the woman explained, earning a look of confusion from their new commander. S

Soren frowned. Is… that why Ike forgot him?

"Is that so?" The king responded, more to himself than to Titania. "Then I best tell him all that I know, as little as that may be." Soren shifted, wanting greatly to be away from these laguz. The more he was around them, the more uncomfortable he felt.

"That's alright," Ike readily agreed, grateful for any insight on the man his father had been. Or so Soren assumed. "Whatever you can tell me would be greatly appreciated. Although Greil was my father, I can truly say I know very little about him."

Caineghis fixed a certain look upon Ike, and Soren's grip on his tome tightened significantly, though he was hardly stupid enough to actually try anything. "You have good eyes," the king of the beasts gave a small, thoughtful hum. "Honest and brave; I seen your father in them," he commented nostalgically. "Many years back, Greil, your father, worked as a mercenary for Gallia, we forged a strong bond, he and I," Caineghis mentioned with a bit of remorse. "To speak truthfully, I do not trust beorc, Ike. But your father was different. Princess Elincia's father, King Ramon, and his brother Renning, are also of a different kind. They were all exceptional men, men whom with I could place my trust," it was then that he remembered Titania, who smiled faintly at his high compliments of Greil and the royal brothers of the Crimea throne. "Ah, Titania, you are an exception as well! Among beorc females, you are unique."

The scarlet haired woman gave a nod of approval, and offered the king a gracious smile. Soren narrowed his eyes on her, wondering just what she was playing at. "You are most gracious your majesty."

"My father was a mercenary for Gallia…?" Ike spoke in confusion, though Soren had a sneaking suspicion it was also an attempt to get the conversation back on track.

"Correct," the king affirmed. "And you and your sister were both born here in Gallia. Though it was for a short time only, a part of your childhood was spent within these borders."

"Mist and I were born here? I don't remember that at all," Ike frowned.

"I fear your parents were carrying a dark secret," Caineghis spoke suddenly, going very serious. "Someone was most certainly hunting them. Over ten years ago, after your mother had been slain, your father chose to leave Gallia. Before he left I went to him and asked to share his tale. I asked 'why are you being chased? Is there anything I can do to help?' But I did not receive a response. Now I had heard he had just returned to Gallia, and I sought again to hear this tale," The king of Gallia closed his eyes, a small sigh escaping between his lips. "His fate was black. But had I hastened my steps… perhaps things would have been different."

Soren stared at the king, the laguz paying him little mind. Inwardly, Soren scoffed. There was no point in dwelling over what might have happened. But… what the king said… Had he been there the night Greil was killed?

"Wait!" Ike interrupted Soren's musings, realization dawning on his features. "I understand now. That voice I heard was you, wasn't it?"

In answer to this question Caineghis merely nodded. "His wound was fatal. I could do nothing to stop this. I thought it best to not interfere in his final moments, so I remained hidden." A pause. "Tell me Ike, at his last, did he confess anything to you? Perhaps the identity of the Black Knight? Did he reveal that?"

"That Black Knight?" Soren was thinking much to the same effect. Was this Black Knight the one who killed Greil? But wasn't there also a general of Daein, one of the elite Four Riders, called the Black Knight? Was it possibly the same person? "No," Ike admitted. "I don't know who he was. My father instructed me to take command, told me to trust the King Caineghis and to live peacefully in Gallia," he explained. "Everything else, he told me to forget, to not seek revenge against the Black Knight."

"Is that so? Well then you can allow me to do what I can. If any of your mercenaries desire to live here, I will so arrange it. I will vouchsafe them homes and land," Caineghis assured, despite the fact that Soren himself would never accept such an offer. The only way he was going to live in the land of beast was if Ike accepted the offer, and he highly doubted the boy would.

"Your kindness is truly appreciated, but I could never live here in peace," Ike declined, as Soren thought he would. "Not now. I will avenge my father. I can't so quickly forget the past, or the Black Knight."

"But Ike, that's not…" Titania protested, before she was interrupted.

"I know. I'm… not strong enough to do that yet." Ike gave her a serious look. "An opponent who could defeat my father is beyond my reach. But that's why I am going to devote myself to growing stronger," he stated with conviction, and a light behind his eyes that Soren had never seen in anyone else. "I will lead my father's mercenaries and prepare for the day my chance for revenge arrives."

"A prudent course of action," Caineghis applauded. "I would have thought you more impulsive, but it seems you truly are Greil's son after all."

Titania gave a small, light-hearted laugh. "You've matured Ike," she smiled at him. "It seems as if it were only yesterday that you were a child."

"Titania…" Ike glanced away from her, almost appearing embarrassed.

"I would ask a boon of you," Caineghis diverted the conversation once more, returning to yet another subject on hand. "The strength of your mercenaries Ike, would you lend it to Elincia?" The king asked.

Ike gave him an incredulous look, "are you serious?" he raised a rather disrespectful brow at the king, a sure sign of his lack of mannerisms and deference toward nobility. Soren had to inwardly laugh at that.

"King Caineghis!" Elincia spoke in surprise and alarm, worried she would not receive help after all.

The king sighed. "Gallia and Crimea are allied nations, that cannot denied. However, this alliance is bound only by the royal families. It is not yet respected by our citizens."

"The people of Gallia are rarely seen in Crimea, correct?" Titania asked, more as a formality than anything else. "Even though our nations are friends, there is little understanding of the laguz in Crimea at least. Many still use the undignified name 'sub-human' when speaking of the laguz…" Soren stiffened, and glared at the back of her head. To him, that sounded rather akin to an accusation, as opposed to a harmless statement…

"My father's heart was filled with shame and sorrow over what you describe," Elincia murmured softly, and sad, wistful look in her amber eyes. She briefly closed her eyes. "More than any king in our history, he wanted to deepen the relationship between our people, then…" she trailed off, unable to say. She looked close enough to tears now.

The king mused quietly for a moment, before sharing his thoughts aloud. "Perhaps that is why Daein targeted him. Their hatred for the laguz is well known."

"Could it be…?" Ike wondered.

"In my heart of hearts, I would like to take guardianship of the Princess Elincia and assist in the rebuilding of Crimea. However, an anti-beorc sentiment runs high in Gallia. If we were to offer safe harbor of the princess, I feel many of our elder statesmen would protest. They would say we are giving Daein an ideal excuse to attack."

"Which means Gallia can't offer the Princess Elincia any real relief at all. Is that it?"

"Unfortunately that is true." Soren now just stopped paying close attention, finding his mind occupied by other things.

It was… quite a bit to take in to say the least. First the death of the commander, now they would be turned away, shunned from the doors of Gallia, just as Soren had first assumed when they came here… Perhaps, Soren mused, it would have been better if they had never come here at all. Maybe then the commander would still be alive?

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><p>Endnotes: Did anyone else noticed how, despite the fact Ike asked Soren to stay in the room, he still only had one line out of all that? And it was only one word too!<p> 


	16. Chapter 15: Prison Release!

Author's notes: Wait what? I'm updating?! There's a shocker. Yes, tis, Reina Vilre with another late (coughveryveryverylatecough) update. I just couldn't figure out how to end this chapter... Well, and I was working on other chapters for different stories. I have too many stories. Interesting enough, there are only five (at the most) on going stories that I have posted.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

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><p>Chapter 15: Prison Release!<p>

Soren frowned. Though that in and of itself wasn't at all an uncommon occurrence, the events that had led up to said gesture were in fact, quite out of the ordinary, even for them as of late. After they had left Gallia, the mercenaries, with the princess in tow, had to double back into Crimea, newly occupied by Daein, and somehow had to procure a ship to Begnion in an attempt to gain the assistance of the empire in restoring Crimea's sovereignty. Even to Soren, who could handle unusual or downright dangerous circumstances with relative ease, this one certainly constituted as a suicide mission.

That and their ragtag band of mercenaries now stood guard outside a seemingly abandoned castle, Ranulf, the cat laguz who had shown up at Fort Meritenne, having insisted that they stop here. Soren's crimson eyes narrowed suspiciously. Just what was he up to?

"…Is there something special about this place?" Ike just finished saying.

"Why yes, there is! This is Canteus Castle, a Crimean Fort Daein seized early on in the war," the heterochromatic-eyed cat explained, his green and purple irises gleaming in the shadows of the forest. "Now it serves as a camp for _prisoners_," he hinted strongly.

Soren's eyes lit up in understanding. If they could free the prisoners, then they may be willing to join their group. With the recent loss of… Gatrie and Shinon (Soren couldn't bring himself to think of their late commander) any forces they could get would be a great boon to their cause.

"…I have even heard there are a number of Crimean retainers being held captive in the dungeon beneath the castle," Soren overheard Ranulf tell Ike, who in turn wore a contemplative look on his face.

That evidently caught Elincia by surprise, as not a moment later she said, "What? Are you certain?" her amber eyes wide with hope and perhaps a bit of… astonishment?

Ranulf gave her an incredulous look, and decided now was an excellent time to play around, as stupid as that sounded. "Princess, I'm hurt. Of course my information is reliable." He smiled with an easygoing nature, seemingly far too relaxed for Soren's comfort.

As if she had read his mind, Titania spoke Soren's earlier thoughts aloud. "If we rescued some Crimean soldiers then they might join us. That would be a great boon would it not?"

Ike glanced at her. "Yes it would," he commented thoughtfully. "I think it's worth the risk," the new commander agreed, giving a nod to Ranulf.

"Very well then," Soren finally spoke. "We should head to the castle, and hope that we're not spotted right away." He almost rolled his eyes at that. Hope was such a useless thing, fragile, yet all consuming.

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><p>The dungeons beneath the castle Canteus were damp, rank with waste and must. Rats skittered this way and that, running through cracks, and small openings as the mercenaries quietly, careful of their steps, approached a small archway, yet stopped just out of sight of any who may be watching.<p>

Ranulf skulked right on the edge of the opening, remaining just out of sight from prying eyes. He moved back toward the mercenaries as a guard passed by, so as not to be caught. "I suppose the question now is how we open the cells to free the prisoners," he murmured quietly, too softly for his voice to echo.

"The cells are certain to be locked," Ike spoke just as quietly, thinking to himself. "So in order to open them…" he trailed off.

Soren took over this train of thought for him by saying, "logic would dictate that the keys would be with the jailor," he spoke monotonously, his face blank. "We have no choice but to steal them. If we're lucky, the guards would have keys as well… Either way, we must move with caution. We don't want to trade blows with the entire castle garrison," He stated strategically.

"Which means we stay close to the walls and avoid being seen or heard right?" Soren found himself quite impressed with Ike's line of thinking. It was a good plan after all. "All right then, our first priority is to get our hands on the cell keys…"

Ranulf suddenly stiffened, soft blue ears going flat against the back of his head. "Hey!" he called quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the guards nearby. "You there!"

A dark, rather imposing figure stalked out of the shadows, his tall frame surprisingly discreet, and his dark clothes inconspicuous, and un-noteworthy. "I have business with sir Greil," He said flatly, his dark brown eyes scanning over there group with hidden intent, something Soren didn't exactly like. "Where is he?" the man, likely some form of thief if solely based on his state of dress, had evidently realized the commander was not among them, and decided to get straight to the heart of the matter.

"You're sorely lacking in social etiquette, aren't you?" Soren stated, not realizing or not _caring_ how hypocritical that statement was coming from him. "State your business," he demanded tersely, acting as if he were far more imposing than he truly was.

"I'll speak with sir Greil and sir Greil alone," the man responded without missing a beat, as if he'd rehearsed this a thousand times before. "Now take me to him."

"What you ask is impossible," Titania spoke softly, eyes misting over slightly. "Commander Greil is dead."

He didn't even bat an eyelash at the news, almost as if it was already known to him. "Well, that is a problem," the thief commented lightly.

Titania evidently saw the same thing Soren had, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Just who are you, anyway?" she questioned, her tone stern, yet also carrying a hint of a far darker side to her few had ever seen.

"Call me Volke," Volke responded immediately. "Sir Greil hired me. I'm, shall we say, in _intelligence_." A spy?

"My father hired you?" that piqued Ike's interest, and Soren knew his friend would jump at the chance to learn anything of his father.

"You are sir Greil's son correct?" Volke asked knowingly. "You'll do," he said with smug confidence, a smirk gracing his features. "Sir Greil hired me to investigate something. You pay the price, and I'll give you the report; deal?" he raised a brow.

"How much?" Was Ike's immediate response.

"Fifty thousand," was the outrageously high price. Soren felt it was almost blackmail, what this, _Volke_ was doing, yet highly suspicious at the same time.

"That's a bit steep," Ike responded.

"And worth every penny," Volke quipped back without missing a beat.

"I don't have that much. Give me time," Ike said instantly, not wishing to lose his only lead.

"So you're willing to pay?" Volke almost seemed surprised, or as surprised as the blank faced man could be.

"My father hired you," Ike said simply. "He must have a good reason."

"Are you sure commander?" Titania asked in worry. "We have no way of knowing he's telling the truth."

"We'll know when we see the contents of that report. Until then, let's have him travel with us."

Volke smirked. "So that's your plan, eh? Listen you get your report when I get paid; and I'm not waiting around until then. I'll keep my information for the time being. Call me when you got the gold," he turned to leave, attempting to stalk back into the shadows from whence he came, but glanced over his shoulder briefly to say, "Stop into any tavern along your way and ask the barkeep you need to see a fireman. You'll see me within an hour." Volke made to leave, but Soren called to him before he disappeared.

"Hold a moment!" Volke halted in his tracks, and gave the boy a sideways glance. "Intelligence. You said you were in intelligence, correct? Is information the only thing you sell?" the boy hinted, dancing around the subject. If he were honest, it was very unlike him, but Soren knew sometimes it was necessary to be subtle.

"Come out with it!" Volke demanded, though he didn't shout. "What are you asking?" he inquired, his voice on the edge of dangerous.

"Locks. Can you open locks?" Soren raised a brow, knowing that this man's talents, if he had them, could be… useful.

"Sure," he said blasé, "fifty gold per lock."

Ike gave Soren a strange look and asked, "You're going to have him open the cell doors?"

"Is that wise?" Titania questioned. "We've only just met him. There's no telling if we can trust him."

"What do you two think?" Ike asked Soren and Titania after a moment of pause as he considered their options yet came up blank with what to do.

"Under the circumstances, I think trusting a man whom we don't know is dangerous. I'm opposed to this."

"If we want to get those cells open, I think risk is going to be inevitable," Soren responded, hoping that Ike would trust his judgment. While he knew Volke was a rather dubious character at best, the man seemed in it only for the money. As long as they had that, he would likely remain loyal to their cause. "If we don't have to steal the keys, we can reduce that risk and improve our chances of rescuing the prisoners. It's worth a shot," he added at the end, his crimson eyes holding a strong conviction.

"Volke," Ike turned now to the thief after thinking over what the two had said. "Will you help us break into these cells?" Soren let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. So Ike did trust him…

"As long as I get paid, I got no complaint," was the man's only response.

"Titania?" Ike questioned, turning to her. "Objections?"

"I told you before, didn't I? You are the commander. If you decide on a course of action, I will but follow," the knight said in response.

"If that's that, then I will be off," Ranulf spoke now, having remained silent throughout the course of their conversation.

"Wait!" Ike called as the cat made to leave. "You're not going to help us then?"

* * *

><p>Soren let out a slight sound of irritation. Sure, the cat had to go and run off when he would have actually been <em>useful<em> around here. Instead he went to goddess knows where, to accomplish some obscure mission that just so happened to coincide with the 'rescue' attempt on the part of the mercenaries. Yeah, right.

The mage never considered himself to be a fool, or unintelligent in any sense of the word. But he was a highly suspicious, untrusting individual. Naturally he believed the cat had some ulterior motive for his sudden departure; reporting to his superior about their actions? A Gallian spy mayhap? Whatever the circumstances, Ranulf's absence left him on edge, particularly when so very many things could go wrong on this sort of mission.

Volke, true to his word, slunk into the shadows, blending easily in the odd crevices and nooks of the prison, opening cell doors without a sound, then moving on to the next with little to no difficulty. He had an almost unfair advantage over the rest of the mercenaries, with his years and years of expertise in the art of stealth and concealment. It was actually something interesting to think about while they carefully picked their way past the guards.

On occasion, Ike or one of the other mercenaries would slip inside a cell, to speak with the prisoner, leaving the others to contend with the clueless guards. Soren himself took down quite a few without raising the alarm, as he would silently cast a wind spell, and either Lethe or Mordecai would dart forward and catch them before they fell to the ground. It was an efficient system.

But then, someone made a slip-up, as people are wont to do. Soren wasn't sure whether it was him, or one of the two laguz, but before they fully knew what happened the clanking of metal armor flooded the silent halls of the lower section of the castle. Soren froze; complete stillness came over them all...

Then all Hell broke loose. The alarm had been raised by a solitary soldier, and the mercenaries quite literally found themselves surrounded. Soren cursed his rotten luck as he saw quite a few soldiers approach _him_ of all people. A lance wielder, a swordsman, and a Fighter; naturally they somehow bypass all the physical fighters and come straight for _him_.

Soren ungracefully ducked out of the way, barely dodging the first myrmidon. He spun around on the heels of his sandals, heart pumping adrenaline through his blood. As he stopped once more, with his back against the wall Soren's crimson eyes narrowed on the myrmidon. He had one arm clenched tightly around his tome, the familiar weight brought flat against his chest.

The myrmidon smirked, an odd look coming over his features. The other two didn't even bother coming any closer; they already had him cornered. A grim acceptance hardened Soren's otherwise child-like face. He glared at the swordsman. "Are you going to finish me or just stand there?" Soren snapped, and the Daein soldiers (or perhaps mercenaries?) flinched at the bitingly cold tone.

The man hesitated as Soren's glare increased in intensity. Soren snorted disdainfully. He couldn't be _that_ intimidating, especially considering he was hardly physically imposing. The moment of indecision cost him his life as the next minute a sword was protruding from his gut, red gleaming off the tip of the blade in the dim light.

Ike swung around and caught the Fighter off-guard, easily knocking his axe away. Soren began to silently chant his spell, his tome now open in front of him. The lancer was now on guard, and brought his spear around to run Ike through. Ike didn't notice, focused as he was on the fighter. Soren brought his arm, the winds bending to his will and surrounding the lancer. The soldier screeched as the blades of wind slipped between his armor, cutting into the soft, vulnerable flesh beneath.

Soren quickly followed with quickly with a second spell, bringing his arm back down and whispering the words under his breath. The lancer collapsed as blood seeped from out from under his black armor. Soren's dark eyes snapped over to Ike, just in time to see the fighter catch a glancing blow to his left shoulder.

Ike flinched as blood blossomed from the gash, yet he still managed to get his sword up in time to block the second attack. Moving faster than Soren could see, Ike charged the fighter, running him through with his blade. The Daein soldier stiffened, the fell back, slipping off Ike's blade.

Ike staggered lightly. "Soren, the others have mostly finished with them. We should leave now," he sheathed his sword and leaned back against the wall.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Soren snapped, not thinking clearly. Usually he wouldn't dare talk to Ike that way, but he'd make an exception in this case.

Ike's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" Soren didn't respond, instead cutting off a piece of his robe with the knife he hid in his boot. He hastily wrapped the make-shift bandage over Ike's shoulder, stemming the blood flow somewhat. "Soren are you alright?"

Alright? Alright? No. he wasn't alright. If that fighter had managed to injure him elsewhere? What would have happened if it had been Ike's heart instead of just his shoulder? Ike would be gone. Soren would be all alone again.

"It's nothing," Soren stated dismissively, after several moments of recollecting his thoughts. "You should go see Rhys. I'm not sure how long that will hold." Was all he said as he turned away from Ike.

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><p>Endnotes: ...Not sure what else to say other the I am sorry for the late update.<p> 


	17. Chapter 16: Port Toha

Author's Notes: I can't believe I have had this chapter nearly complete for so long and I was just sitting on it. I'm mean, when I usually have updated in a while, it is because I haven't started the next chapter yet, but I just had to do a bit of transition at the end of this one and, poof! Complete.

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem is not owned by me. It is unknown by me why I am using the passive voice.

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><p>Chapter 16: Port Toha<p>

Fish. That was the first smell to reach the group as they entered Port Toha. The second was the undeniable taste of the sea, also known as salt. Both of which were two reasons Soren hated port towns. No, it had nothing to the rowdy sailors who crowded the taverns, or even the fact that such towns were some of the most likely to be attacked. Whatever one may say Soren _despised_ fish, and didn't much care for the smell and taste of salt either.

This of course, was only heightened by the fact that he was already on edge due to the likelihood of discovery here. Daein soldiers littered the streets, passing them by without notice, though they would soon draw a crowd if so many people stayed in such a small space. Regardless, the people, the town, it was strangely lively. For a people who had fallen to Daein one would think fear would be more common, or at least, that some other emotion other than disregard would have taken hold of the people. They didn't care one way or another if Daein utterly destroyed Crimea, if only they would be left alone.

It was inexcusable. These people had no idea what losing the war would mean. They didn't care. This apathy, it was utterly loathsome. It was worse than despicable, it was… it was… Soren couldn't come up with another word save contemptible.

"…Surely these people have some idea of what's happening," Soren frowned, glancing over at Ike. The bewilderment and lack of comprehension was evident in his eyes.

Soren hadn't been paying close attention, but he had heard much of their conversation, in passing at least. So he decided to speak up. With a streak of bitterness, Soren said, "Ignorance is a form of bliss is it not? These people don't know what it's like to lose a war. They don't want to know." It hadn't been enough. A deep rooted anger burned through his system; now that he had started, Soren doubted he would be able to stop. "Crimea as a nation has always been blessed by peace." Blessed by whom? He didn't believe in a goddess. "Perhaps this is due to the temperament of its rulers, but the country hasn't seen serious warfare for centuries." He was still too calm. They had no way of knowing, no way of expecting. "While minor skirmishes with the kingdom of Daein have been legion, only the eastern borderlands have taken damage."

Ike's eyes traveled downward, to the dirt beneath his feet. "And yet even I know this peace will not last," he sounded very troubled by Soren's explanation. "When we met Daein forces on our scouting mission, they attacked us merely for being within the Crimean border."

Soren swallowed thickly, but it wasn't enough to push back the words that escaped his throat. "Humans are shameless creatures that carelessly ignore any misfortune that does not befall them directly. They can—and often do—turn a blind eye to all manner of wickedness so long as it does not touch them or their kin," echoes of the past hounded his ear, calling to the forefront of his mind previous mistreatment. Humans were just as bad as sub-humans; the minute they had seen that mark on his forehead they cast him out, threw rocks at him to get him to leave. They were despicable! Soren focused his eyes straight ahead, hardly looking at Ike anymore. "They will bow their heads, condemning those victims for bringing calamity upon themselves," Soren found himself compelled to finish. "And then they will cast their eyes toward heaven in thanks while their neighbors lay dying around them."

"But the war is happening here," Ike countered, interrupting Soren's monologue. "This is their home, not someone else's!" He stated earnestly, the sound of his voice finally forcing Soren to look up at him.

Soren's lips pressed into a grim line as his eyes met Ike's. Genuine shock played on Ike's face at the anger and resentment he saw reflected in Soren's ordinarily impassive crimson eyes. "When the Daein army darkens their doorsteps," his voice wavered ever so slightly, though few would notice it. "Perhaps they will understand. When they peace they take for granted is shattered and their sons and daughters slaughtered in the streets…" Soren realized he wasn't even talking about the people of Toha anymore. "Perhaps then will they comprehend the misfortunes they so long pretended not to see. I have no sympathy for them!" This last sentence wasn't shouted, but spoken with so much venom that no one had ever seen or heard Soren use. He couldn't stand it; he couldn't look at Ike. He turned, like a coward, and fled.

"My goodness, the nastier the truth, the blunter he gets… Quite a delightful Staff…" Ranulf's annoying quip faded to mere background noise as Soren turned a corner… and bumped into a man with silvery-blue hair.

"Umph!" Soren brought his foot back, just managing to remain upright. The man blinked in surprise, back-stepping.

"Sorry there! I didn't see you," the man politely ducked his head. A small smile briefly crossed his features.

Soren didn't respond, carefully giving him a disinterested look. Whatever else it may have done, it provided a welcome distraction and he gave an indifferent reply. "Think nothing of it," it wasn't said out of kindness; his tone carried that inflection well enough. It sounded more that he wanted to move on and forget about the whole matter, which was true enough.

"Ah-" He looked surprised. "Oh, I guess that's… hey where are you…?" the man blinked, turning to stare after Soren as he side-stepped around him. "Um, goodbye then?"

Soren ignored the comment entirely, and continued on lost in his own thoughts. He'd return to Ike's side eventually, but for the moment he needed to think; to sort through all this. Why, why, why? Why did he say all of that? Especially in front of that infuriating cat laguz! Now they would ask questions, wonder how he was doing, ask if he was alright… Soren hated that! He hated how people constantly asked him how he was feeling, as if they _cared_.

_ 'Ike cared…'_ Soren thought. But no, Ike was different. He wasn't _them;_ he was _Ike._ Even so, not even Ike needed to worry about his well-being. It was irrelevant, now more than ever with them being surrounded and on the run thanks to that "Princess Elincia". He didn't hate her; not personally. Danger was a part of the job, and it was unlikely Ike would have sided with Daein regardless of whether or not they had found the princess. But he couldn't deny that her presence made their job that much more difficult. It was hard to hide a "princess" who's only outfit was a bright orange dress that could be seen a mile off... in a densely packed forest. Such an obnoxiously bright dress couldn't have been hidden from a blind man.

Which brought the question… Just how was Ranulf planning to sneak Elincia onto the ship? Soren frowned suspiciously. Even if they disguised her with a cloak or other covering, they would still have to get her passed the crew and captain, or else... It had to be a captain that Ranulf trusted. Ranulf would never trust a beorc captain. Soren narrowed his eyes in thought. Would he hand them over to a laguz? Probably, Soren thought with a derisive snort. Laguz or beorc however, Ike wouldn't care, and in that case Soren would just have to deal with it.

* * *

><p>"Soren!" Ike waved him over, panting breathlessly. Ike had been looking for him? "There you are. I wondered where you ran off to."<p>

"I was checking over supplies." Soren furrowed his brow in worry. "Is that not my job?"

"Heh, I suppose so," Ike gave a brief smile before returning to a neutral expression. "I..." Ike rubbed the back of his neck. "I... guess I was just concerned a bit. You did run off earlier. I just wanted to know if everything was okay with you Soren."

"I'm fine," Soren returned to looking over his reports. Unless Ranulf was planning the food supply also, then they would need more for the trip. He should speak with Oscar about that. Though they traded duties, Oscar was their usual cook, and he would know roughly how much everyone ate. With the new additions to their group, he would have to recalculate the...

"Soren, you can't just end a conversation with 'I'm fine'!" Soren was startled by the outburst, and more than just a little confused. "I'm worried about you, but I can't do anything if you won't tell me what's wrong." Ike took a deep breath.

Soren blinked, and a long pause, he said, "nothing's wrong Ike. If you'll excuse me, I really have to go," Soren turned away without glancing back.

* * *

><p>Everything was Chaos. They had people strewn about, all heading toward the ship. Fighting and clanging metal were the most definite sounds, and it rang unpleasantly in his ears. He stayed close to Ike. It was where he belonged after all.<p>

From here, he was well defended, with Titania and Oscar and Ike. He could cast with relatively little difficulty, and he didn't have to fear being cut in half by an errant Daein soldier. This was his element, his life. He would remain at Ike's side as long as he could. But what was to become of him should he prove obsolete? What would he do when Ike no longer needed him?

Soren ignored this, the feeling of inferiority that always crept up on him. He left his entire focus in the spells and chants, the soldiers that needed to be removed. He would think of that when he came to the crossroads. Now was the time to fight, to live through another battle. The wind gathered at his fingertips, forming a cutting, fierce hurricane. Soren felt the thunder in the air, Ilyana's spells that so unnerved him even at this distance. They were not so close as to disrupt him, but he preferred to keep as far away from her as he could.

It was when they nearly reached the port that he was spotted. The Black Knight from the night Greil died. Ike wanted to kill him, but he was not ready to face him. Ranulf held back to keep him at bay. They all made it to the… ship. Soren grimaced. He hated sailing.

* * *

><p>Endnotes: yeah, yeah, a lot of small sections in that chapter, but they would have made sense if I had run them together. The first part though, was by far my favorite quote by Soren. As blunt as horrible as it is, it certainly speaks volumes about why Soren is so distrustful of people.<p> 


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